12 Little-Known Facts About Duke's Mayonnaise

Condiments have the power to completely change a dish, be it a sandwich, a pasta salad, or even a chocolate cake. But there's perhaps no more versatile ingredient than mayonnaise. Sure, it's something you might choose to spread on some bread for your child's bologna sandwich or add to a dry potato salad, but it can be used for so, so much more than that — especially if you're using a particularly good quality mayo. There are many different brands out there to choose from, most of which are just average.

But then there are a few brands that stand above the rest when it comes to mayonnaise fame, and Duke's is one of them. This mayo is actually the third best-selling mayonnaise in the country, which means that you've almost definitely encountered it before. It's an absolutely beloved product, and once you taste its creamy tanginess, you'll understand why. Even if you always keep a jar of the stuff stashed in your fridge, though, there's probably a lot you don't know about the brand. That's why we're doing a deep dive to deliver the 411 on this iconic condiment. Whether you're a diehard mayo fan or you're just thinking about switching sides, you need to know these little-known facts about Duke's mayonnaise.

Chances are, you've probably tasted more than one or two mayonnaise brands in your life, and you can likely tell the difference between them. Even though it's a relatively simple condiment, each brand has its own recipe and formula to deliver a slightly different taste from its competitors. This is a good thing — after all, more competition ultimately means better mayo. Eat a small spoonful of Duke's, and you may notice that it's richer and creamier than other mayonnaise you've tasted in the past. Ever wondered why that is?

Well, a lot of that creamy texture and full-bodied flavor comes from the fact that Duke's uses only egg yolks — not egg whites — in its recipe. Many, if not most, mayo brands out there choose to use both the yolk and the white in their recipes (though there are a few exceptions, like the uber popular Kewpie). This gives the finished condiment a lighter flavor, which is what some customers want. But if you count yourself among the true mayo lovers of the world, then you probably want something a bit richer, creamier, and more interesting. Duke's offers just that. So, the next time you're spreading a slice of bread with mayo, remember this one fact about what sets Duke's apart from the competition.

Take a look at the ingredients lists of some of your favorite processed food products, and the amount of sugar you'll find might just blow you away. Of course, a lot of sweet products boast tons of sugar, but you'll even find it in a slew of savory products you might not expect it from. Foods that you would never think of as sweet are often hiding heaps of sugar in their contents. Mayonnaise is one of those products. Tons of mayo brands out there have added sugar, which gives the condiment a more rounded flavor. But if you prefer a lighter, brighter mayo, you'll want one without sugar. Luckily, Duke's offers just that: a sugarless mayonnaise.

Because of this lack of mayo, you can pick up on the flavors from other ingredients instead. Those flavors create a more acidic, tangier mayo. In fact, Duke's has a word for this aspect of flavor: "twang." That seems pretty fitting considering the brand's Southern roots. If you tend to enjoy a more acidic mayo, give this brand a try. Once you get used to that sugarless flavor, you won't want to go back to the other stuff.

If you're into tattoos, you know that they can be quite expensive. It makes sense — after all, it's art that's going to be on your skin permanently, and that's something you definitely don't want to be cheap with — but it can prevent you from getting tattoos you really want. And what if you happen to want a Duke's mayo-themed tattoo? Well, as of right now, it looks like you'll just have to fork over the money for it, but there was one glorious day in 2022 when you could get a Duke's mayo tattoo completely for free.

This promotion was held at Yellow Bird Tattoo, a tattoo shop in Virginia. For just one day, May 13, 2022, mayo lovers could get a Duke's tattoo without spending their hard-earned cash. They had the option to choose from over 40 designs, some in color and others in black and white. The tattoos had to be on their arms or legs, though. Some of the designs were quite simple, while others were more intricate than you may expect.

Unfortunately, we don't know of any tattoo shop that's currently giving out free Duke's tattoos, but at least you can use the photos as inspiration for your own condiment-themed tattoo you'll get someday. (You'll probably have to pay full price, unfortunately.) Never has a fresh tattoo looked so delicious.

There are a lot of foods that you probably associate with mayonnaise. The simple sandwiches that you brought to school sometimes as a kid might have been slathered in mayo, and chances are, you've come across more than one egg, pasta, or potato salad in your life that featured the creamy ingredient. But there are other dishes that could benefit from a dollop of mayo that you may have never associated with the condiment. One of those dishes? Mashed potatoes.

Think about it: When you make mashed potatoes, you're trying to add an element of richness and creaminess to the dish. That's probably why you incorporate ingredients like heavy cream and butter. But mayonnaise has many of those same rich, creamy properties. Therefore, it makes sense that it would make a delicious addition to mashed potatoes. Duke's works best in a mashed potato recipe because it has that acidic tang to it. Therefore, you can avoid the slight sweetness that you may get from some other brands. The next time you want to take your mashed potatoes to the next level, try adding in a big spoonful of Duke's.

The United States is a huge country, but still, it can be easy to forget that we have so many different food cultures spanning the nation. Southern food may be one of the most well-known, and for good reason: Its rich flavors offer something distinct to the country's food landscape. Of course, there are countless different Southern foods to celebrate, but for many Southerners, Duke's really is something special. That's largely because it comes from the region. All the way back in 1919, Eugenia Duke, the founder of Duke's, was selling huge numbers of sandwiches made with her homemade mayo in Greenville, South Carolina. This was especially impressive considering there were so few women entrepreneurs in her day.

Ten years later, she sold her recipe to a company that built a mayo factory, and the rest is history. This is some serious mayo lore, and it happened in the heart of the South. So, the next time you enjoy a spoonful of Duke's, just remember where it came from — its hometown undoubtedly shaped the condiment it's become.

You likely have plenty of recipes you make on a regular basis that call for mayo, but if you seriously love Duke's, you may be interested in learning about how you can incorporate it into more recipes beyond your standard go-tos. That's what The Duke's Mayonnaise Cookbook is for. Yes, it's really a whole cookbook dedicated just to Duke-centric recipes, and we couldn't love it more. All of the recipes in a book find ways to highlight the condiment's unique, original flavor creatively.

You're going to find more than a few sandwich recipes in this book. In fact, it has a whole 75 recipes to choose from, ranging from more conventional uses for mayonnaise to dishes you probably would have never considered adding mayo to without this book. Whether you're trying to figure out new ways to eat your favorite condiment or you're just interested in finishing up that jar of Duke's you have sitting in the fridge, this cookbook has you covered.

It's always interesting to find out which food products our favorite chefs and food influencers use. By getting a glimpse into their everyday cooking routines, it can help us find ways to upgrade our own pantry and fridge staples. As it turns out, Duke's has no shortage of famous supporters, and Alton Brown is one of them. The cook and TV personality is open about the fact that he's a big fan of the product.

So, why does Alton Brown prefer this mayonnaise specifically? Well, it sounds like it all comes down to the tang factor. He likes a mayonnaise that's on the tangier side of things, and since Duke's is known for that tanginess, it makes sense that it would be his favorite. A lot of that tang is thanks to the inclusion of both apple cider and distilled vinegar in the recipe, which gives it a complex flavor that you won't find from other brands. Of course, you're free to choose whatever mayo you prefer, but we're going to side with (one of) the experts on this one.

There is nothing — and we really mean nothing — quite as glorious as a tomato sandwich on a hot summer day. No, we're not talking about a BLT, nor do we mean some other tomato-adorned sandwich packed with a ton of other ingredients. The best tomato sandwiches feature just tomatoes, preferably ripe and garden fresh, and that's about all. Oh, and mayo, of course.

When you're working with a recipe that's as sparse and as simple as a classic Southern tomato sandwich, you really have to make sure you're using the best possible ingredients. That's why we suggest always opting for a garden fresh tomato over a store-bought one. But the quality of the mayonnaise is just as important. And since tomato sandwiches are a Southern classic, it makes sense that the ideal tomato sandwich would be made with Duke's mayo as opposed to any other brand out there. The mayo's tanginess works well with the acidity and the sugar in the tomato, and that ultra-richness provides just the right amount of creaminess to the finished sandwich.

This may be one of the simplest sandwiches you've ever had. But once you try a tomato sandwich made with Duke's mayonnaise, you'll understand why it's such a beloved lunch in the South.

Thinking about the end of your life and what your loved ones will be forced to do with your remains doesn't exactly sound like a delicious prospect ... unless you're the man who wanted to use a Duke's mayo jar as his urn. In 2014, Larry Clinton of Bessemer City, North Carolina, said that he wanted to be buried in a jar of Duke's when he died. He reportedly said that he would put the condiment on a "bologna sandwich or banana sandwich, I put it on peaches and pears and cheese."

Clinton actually died just five years later, in 2019. There is no word of whether his wish came to fruition, but his love of the condiment is evident even in his obituary. In said obituary, he's referred to as the "Duke's Mayonnaise Man." Wouldn't it be nice to love something as much as Clinton loved Duke's? We're hoping he got his wish.

Mayonnaise is the base for so many delicious sauces, including some seafood-centric sauces, like tartar sauce, for instance. Therefore, it makes sense that Duke's would want to get in on the seafood game. But don't worry — you don't have to stir up these sauces yourself just to get that Duke's flavor you love because the brand has now come out with its own seafood sauces. They're perfect for when you're trying to upgrade a seafood dish with a dash of a quick and easy sauce.

There are a few different Duke's seafood sauces you can choose from. The Bayou Remoulade is creamy with a Cajun kick, and the Creamy Chesapeake Cocktail is for all those who wish that cocktail sauce came with a dollop of mayo on the side. For lighter dishes, opt for the Gulf Coast Lemon Garlic Aioli, or try the Tidewater Tartar with fried fish for a bright and creamy accoutrement. Seafood night at your house has never tasted so good.

Maybe you love Duke's mayonnaise, but you're not a real superfan until you visit the Mayo Trail in Greenville, South Carolina. Eugenia Duke's Unofficial Mayo Guide to Greenville will take you to all the important stops in Duke's lore so you can gain a better understanding of where the condiment comes from. You'll go to four historical spots that were important to the founding of this mayo brand. But don't worry — the majority of the stops on the trail are all about eating, of course. Try Duke's mayo-spiked dishes at every turn to see how the condiment shines in a variety of lights.

Feeling super hungry? Take a look at the trail's entrée stops. These are the places where you can sit down and enjoy a whole meal. You'll probably only want to go to a few of those locations, though. If you're looking for more of a mayo-heavy snack, visit the snack stops instead. Once you finish this trail, you're going to have a newfound appreciation for Duke's mayo.

Mayonnaise can be used in such a wide variety of contexts, but if you're like most people, you probably think of it as a mostly savory condiment. After all, you're not exactly going to be adding mayonnaise to a chocolate cake, right? Right?

Well, not exactly. Although you may think that Duke's belongs on a boring old bologna sandwich, this is a condiment that doesn't need to be put in a box. And despite its use for so many different savory purposes, it also shines in the brand's wildly popular chocolate cake recipe.

Yes, it may seem odd to add mayo to a chocolate cake at first, but when you really think about it, it makes a lot of sense. You want your chocolate cake to be moist and dense, which is often achieved through fat — mayo is obviously a great choice here. Don't worry about the flavor, either, because that bright tanginess also helps cut back on some of the sweetness in the cake. You know when you eat a cake that's so sweet it just makes you feel sick after a few bites? By using such a tangy, acidic ingredient, you won't have that problem when you follow this recipe. Sure, it may not be the most conventional way to use mayonnaise, but hear us out when we say that this recipe is absolutely worth a try.