Difference Between Mayonnaise and Miracle Whip

Mayonnaise and Miracle Whip is not the same thing. They look similar, they are packaged in similar jars and they even have some similar purposes but they are quite different. From composition to taste and their primary utilities, mayonnaise and Miracle Whip are considerably different despite having the same quintessential ingredients.

Before we delve into the difference between mayonnaise and Miracle Whip, let us travel back in time to explore the origins. Mayonnaise was developed by the chef of duc de Richelieu who along with Louis François Armand de Vignerot du Plessis captured Mahón in the island of Minorca, which was then under Spanish control. The chef stirred up a dressing and called it Mahonnaise. That dressing made its way into the United States at the turn of the twentieth century. Twenty years later, Miracle Whip emerged onto the scene at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. Manufactured by Kraft Foods, it is a dressing that is as popular as the mayonnaise.

How Does Mayonnaise and Miracle Whip Differ?

Both mayonnaise and Miracle Whip are made of eggs, vinegar, soybean, water and oil. But they taste different and the compositions aren’t the same either. Here is the difference between mayonnaise and Miracle Whip.

First, Miracle Whip contains much less white oil than mayonnaise. According to the standards set by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States, mayonnaise should have at least 65% vegetable oil of the total weight of mayo in the jar. Miracle Whip, by the admission of Kraft, doesn’t even come close. The proportion of vegetable oil in regards to weight is much low in Miracle Whip. The exact proportion is a secret.

Miracle Whip is sweeter and also a tad spicier than mayonnaise. That is obviously because of sugar or sweeteners and due to the use of certain spices. Mayonnaise has quite a few standard recipes today where people do play around with the spices. But apparently, the spices used for Miracle Whip are not the same as in mayonnaise. Admittedly, Miracle Whip contains more than twenty spices and sugar. It is believed that Miracle Whip uses corn syrup for its high fructose content that gives it the sweet taste and there are certain spices making up the remaining ingredients. Many believe that Miracle Whip contains mustard or some kind of mustardy extract. No such contents or ingredients are used in mayonnaise.

The next time you have to choose between mayonnaise and Miracle Whip, you would know exactly how to assess them.

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