Allioli

Allioli (Catalan: all i oli, literally 'garlic and oil') is one of the oldest emulsified sauces in the Western kitchen, predating mayonnaise by centuries. The authentic preparation requires nothing beyond raw garlic, good olive oil, and — in some versions — a pinch of salt and a few drops of lemon juice. Working entirely in a mortar, the cook pounds peeled garlic cloves to a smooth paste, then introduces olive oil drop by drop in the earliest stage, working the pestle in continuous circular strokes to coax the garlic proteins and cell-wall starches into holding the emulsion. The result is a dense, ivory-white sauce with a piercing, almost medicinal garlic intensity. Because there is no egg lecithin to act as a failsafe emulsifier, allioli is notoriously difficult: the emulsion breaks easily in hot weather, with hurried pouring, or with overly ripe garlic. Traditional recipes note that the maker must be in a patient frame of mind, and that the mortar must be completely dry. The sauce is inseparable from Catalan culture — served alongside grilled calcots, romesco-dressed vegetables, grilled fish, and fideuà. It differs fundamentally from Provençal aioli, which typically includes egg yolk, producing a more stable, richer emulsion that can be made with a whisk or blender. Allioli made with egg is accepted in home kitchens across the Iberian Peninsula as a practical compromise but purists from Catalunya reject the addition.

“She served the grilled spring onions with a proper allioli — no egg, no blender, just garlic and oil worked in the marble mortar for fifteen patient minutes.”

• techniquesEmulsification
• IngredientGarlic
• CuisineSpanish

1. 1.The Food of Spain — Claudia Roden
2. 2.Catalan Cuisine — Colman Andrews
3. 3.Sauces: Classical and Contemporary Sauce Making — James Peterson
4. 4.La Cuina Catalana — Eliana Thibaut i Comalada

Confidence: high