The mayonnaise paradigm: An introduction to scientific gastronomy

This editorial introduces scientific gastronomy through the paradigmatic case of mayonnaise, showing that a dish cannot be understood as the mere sum of its ingredients. Although the components and tools required to make mayonnaise were available long before the eighteenth century, the sauce emerged only when a specific, non-intuitive process was developed. The article highlights the central role of procedure in determining food structure: mayonnaise is an unstable, far-from-equilibrium emulsion whose sensory properties depend on the microscopic organization of oil droplets stabilized by lecithin in an aqueous matrix. This structural perspective explains why a sauce containing up to 70–80% oil does not feel greasy in the mouth, and illustrates how food structure shapes perception, pleasure, digestion, and nutrient assimilation. The editorial argues that gastronomy requires a holistic scientific approach, integrating physics, chemistry, biology, nutrition, sensory experience, cultural history, and culinary practice. Scientific gastronomy, formally framed by the Barcelona Manifesto, is presented as an autonomous discipline that studies food as structured matter designed by the cook and deconstructed by the eater.