I grew up in America. So I grew up thinking that mayonnaise was the bland white stuff in American supermarkets.
One of the most popular brands of "mayonnaise" in the U.S.
Growing up, I had no special attraction to “mayonnaise”. I put it on tuna or ham sandwiches…but that was it.
I would have never dreamed of eating mayo as a salad dressing or on noodles.
But when I came to Japan, I learned what mayonnaise is supposed to taste like.
Japan's 「キューピーマヨネーズ」 ("Kewpie Mayonnaise")
Japanese mayonnaise looks and tastes totally different than the American version.
In Japan, mayonnaise is made with egg yolk and rice vinegar so it has a yellow color and a sweet / sour taste.
American mayonnaise is made with egg whites and tastes like whipped egg whites.
By far, the most popular brand of mayonnaise in Japan is 「キューピーマヨネーズ」 (“Kewpie Mayonnaise“).
It tastes good on sandwiches, spaghetti, Okonomiyaki, Tako-yaki, Yakisoba, salads, celery, and so much more.
It’s sometimes even used in place of tomato sauce as a topping on pizza here in Japan.
Another big difference is the containers.
In America, mayonnaise comes in a glass jar. It’s a pain to get the mayonnaise out when it’s almost empty.
But Japanese mayonnaise is in a plastic squeezable bottle. Much easier to use.
(Ketchup is sold in similar plastic bottles in Japan…unlike the glass ketchup bottles in the U.S.)
Well, it was on the news here in Japan that America people have discovered Japanese mayonnaise.
It said that “Kewpie Mayonnaise” from Japan has become the number one selling mayonnaise on Amazon.com‘s condiment section.
Have you ever tried Japanese mayonnaise? What brand of mayonnaise do you like best?
What do you eat mayonnaise on?
Tokyo Five 
I love Kewpie mayonnaise. I first tried it last year because supermarket near my house sold it for half price 😛 and since then i only buy kewpie mayo..can’t go back to other mayonnaise 🙂
LikeLike
Yeah, it’s much better!
LikeLike
What I’d like to know is where you can get mayonnaise in glass jars in the US any more. I don’t mean little tiny jars, I mean quart jars. The plastic interacts with the fat in the mayo and so the plastic gets inside of YOU. I don’t eat anything nor do I store anything in plastic any more.
LikeLike
>where you can get mayonnaise in glass jars in the US any more.
I don’t live in the U.S., so I couldn’t tell you where.
But I have heard of plastic being bad for you. I guess it wouldn’t surprise me…since they say now that it’s bad for the earth.
It’s a shame though…because plastic is so convenient and useful.
>I don’t eat anything nor do I store anything in plastic any more.
That must be difficult since more and more things are sold in plastic these days.
LikeLike
They sell mayo in squeeze bottles in the U.S. as well. Not as good as the Japanese squeeze bottles.
I liked the spicy variety of Kewpie when I lived there.
LikeLike
>They sell mayo in squeeze bottles in the U.S.
Well they didn’t when I lived there…that I’m aware of.
>Not as good as the Japanese squeeze bottles.
Is the mayonnaise the same white stuff that it was when I lived in America?
Japanese mayonnaise is so much better than that stuff.
>I liked the spicy variety of Kewpie when I lived there.
Have you tried Kewpie’s “Tarako Mayonnaise”?
LikeLike
Same as you, Amercian mayo is no big deal for me. But I LOVE Japanese mayo, especially with french fries!
(I know you haven’t lived in the U.S. for a long time, but they don’t sell ketchup in glass bottles much anymore, it’s in plastic, squeeze bottles, though they still have glass bottles in restaurants.)
LikeLike
>I LOVE Japanese mayo
It is much better!
>the U.S….don’t sell ketchup in glass bottles much anymore, it’s in plastic
OK, then the same as here.
That’s good because those glass jars could be difficult to get the ketchup out of sometimes.
LikeLike
There are people over here as well who eat mayonnaise with everything…. I don’t especially like mayonnaise, but every now and then I eat some with french fries. I can’t speak for other countries, but over here in Germany people make pasta salad and potato salad with lots of mayonnaise (and some other ingredients…). not exactly a healthy diet 😉
They sell mayonnaise in glass jars, like they do it in the USA, but the more popular container is a metallish and squeezable tube (like toothpaste). We have both types of mayonnaise by the way, the one with egg yolk and the one without (but no vinegar either way I think). I just checked and 200ml tubes of the most popular brand thomy cost around 1.30€ (1.70$ or so).
On a side note, a lot of German people prefer remoulade instead of plain mayonnaise.
LikeLike
>I don’t especially like mayonnaise
You should try Japanese mayonnaise…maybe you’ll change your mind.
> in Germany people make pasta salad and potato salad with lots of mayonnaise
I like both of those too.
>the more popular container is a metallish and squeezable tube (like toothpaste).
I’ve never seen that before (but it somehow sounds “European style” to me 😉 ).
>a lot of German people prefer remoulade instead of plain mayonnaise.
Is it good?
LikeLike
Japan overuses Mayo, I think. Hotdogs, Pizza, Yakisoba, Eggs… They put it on anything, and some things it just doesn’t go well with, at least to my palate. It is quite good Mayonnaise, but I’ll stick to Ketchup on my Morning Breakfast Hotdogs they sell at McDonalds. (wtf)
LikeLike
American mayonnaise wouldn’t be good on most of those things…but Japanese mayonnaise is quite different.
(I prefer ketchup on hot dogs too, though.)
LikeLike
If it is made with egg YOLKS, Japanese mayo would be too heavy for my taste.
I spread Best Foods American mayo on salmon filets and then cover it with Panko crumbs before baking in the oven. DELICIOUS!
LikeLike
You should try Japanese mayonnaise if you can (I’m sure they sell it Hawaii)…it’s excellent.
LikeLike
It’s a fair amount more expensive than regular mayo. I buy it at a Japanese grocery store in Little Tokyo in downtown Los Angeles. I think is was about $4 or $4.50. Something like that. How much is it in Japan?
LikeLike
The big 500 gram bottle of mayonnaise is about ¥200 – ¥240 (about US$2.10 – 2.50) in Japan.
LikeLike
I looooove Japanese Kewpie mayonaise. I love it. I can never have the disgusting American white mayonaise ever again. It is disgusting.
LikeLike
Is Kewpie Mayonnaise expensive to buy in America?
LikeLike