tRenD BAKERY REVIEwAccording to Akshay Bector, the
Chairman and Managing Director of Cremica
Food Industries Ltd, “The mayonnaise
boom in India can be attributed to eggless
mayonnaise. Indians prefer vegetarian
mayonnaise and are now using it for
multiple applications, be it sandwiches,
burgers and other fast food applications
or even in some Indian cuisines. We are
regularly developing new variants and
recipes to meet the ever growing
demand of mayonnaise for
different applications.”
In addition, the Indian
companies have managed
to develop a wide range
of mayonnaise with fat
percentages varying from 20-
80 percent, thereby opening
up many new avenues.
The major push for growth
in the mayonnaise market in
India is the fast urbanisation,
rise in disposable incomes
in the age group that likes
experimenting with food,
and the increasing eating out
culture in urban India.
The busy lifestyle has induced our
consumers to adapt to sauces, dressings
and condiments in a big way as ‘on the
go’ eating has become more popular.
According to Viraj Bahl of Veeba Food
Services Pvt. Ltd., “The huge popularity
of sandwich in the country has further
contributed to mayo moving from an
out of home consumption to an in home
consumption product in urban India. People
are now accepting mayonnaise as one of
the major elements in their daily food
requirements. Being healthy, it is replacing
unhealthy options, which are already
slowly loosing market.”Mayonnaise v/s Ketchup
Ketchup still maintains the lead in the
Indian condiments market primarily due
to its commercial presence since the early
1970s, but mayonnaise isn’t far behind.
The mayonnaise market in India is rapidly
growing at a CAGR of more
than 20 percent with
eggless mayonnaise sales
contributing around 90
percent of the overall sales
volume of mayonnaise in
the country.
The usage of
mayonnaise in urban
India has also become
more widespread. From
its initial usage in the
QSR / restaurant business,
mayonnaise is getting into
the household kitchens of
the country now.
While ketchup is usually
consumed only as dip,
mayonnaise is far more versatile and is
consumed in the form of a spread, dip,
binding agent and as a base sauce for
many other sauces. It is in addition an
excellent carrier. This multi utility aspect
of mayonnaise has the potential to make
it preferable over ketchup in India.
In the US, the mayonnaise market
accounts for 2 billion USD, while that of
ketchup is just 800 million USD. This is
the scenario across most of the world;
however it will take some more years forit to happen in the Indian market.The Versatile Product
The versatility of mayonnaise stems from
the fact that it can be used in a grill / oven
at high temperatures, applied on dosas
and parathas, used to saute vegetables /
meat and even be mixed with vegetables
as a base.
It is interesting that the Indian consumers
seem to have taken a liking for a product
called Tom-Mayo i.e. a 50-50 blend of
ketchup and mayonnaise! What used to be
popularised by Chefs as a cocktail sauce,
is now gone mainstream. Additionally,
mayonnaise can be tempered with
spices, masalas and seasonings to create
interesting flavour combinations.
Markets that were familiar with
mayonnaise had fixed ideas on how to
use it; much as ketchup and chutneys are
used here. Mayonnaise in India shows how
sometimes starting on a blank slate can
have its advantages. This coupled with
the various applications of mayonnaise as
cited above, mayonnaise can open up a
whole new world of flavours for the Chef.
Only time and imagination will unfold the
true potential of this great versatile product
in India.The writer is the
former MD of
McCain India and has
worked 25 years in
the food & beverage
industry in various
roles. Contact him
at: ksnaraya@gmail.
comScratch Mayonnaise
This is one recipe that is probably taught across most of the catering colleges through the country
but today rarely used by the Chefs in the kitchen, in India! Here mayonnaise is made by slowly
adding oil to egg yolk, while whisking vigorously to disperse the oil. The oil and the water in yolk
form a base of the emulsion, while the lecithin from the yolk acts as the emulsifier that stabilises
it. Additionally, a bit of mustard is also added to further stabilise the emulsion. It is essential to
constantly beat the mayonnaise using a whisk, while adding the oil; a drop at a time.
Experienced cooks can judge that a mayonnaise is done when the emulsion cannot be beaten
any further. Preparing mayonnaise is as much an art as well as a science and it requires an
experienced Chef to get it right. It is prone to splitting which then renders the whole mix to be
unfit for consumption.
Scratch-based mayonnaise also has its disadvantages. Clearly, scratch-based mayonnaise
is possible only with the use of eggs, thereby giving it a non-vegetarian base. In India, with
most of the consumption being vegetarian, this does not provide a pragmatic base to develop
vegetarian products.
Moreover, since scratch-based mayonnaise uses raw eggs, there always exists the risk of
Salmonella poisoning. This is a serious issue, which kitchens should take cognisance of.