Why Is the Merger Called Mayonnaise Loved—& Hated—so Deeply?

While a strong trend in the culinary arts has been to let individual, natural ingredients shine through, one food has quietly come to dominate the retail market by merging a group of incongruous ingredients together. Mayonnaise, that familiar white goop hiding in your sandwich and coleslaw, is officially the most valuable condiment in the nation. It grossed more than $2 billion in 2013, way ahead of the number-two condiment, that old standby ketchup, which came in at a paltry $800 million. It’s an impressive showing for a substance whose very essence collides with the notion that oil and water don’t mix.

As mayonnaise has conquered the world, it has also divided its eaters. Paul Rozin, professor of food psychology at the University of Pennsylvania, says mayonnaise “splits people into likers and dislikers, with few in the middle.” Fans include author Tom Robbins, who quipped, “I eat so much mayonnaise they were going to send me to the Mayo Clinic” and about its virtues; Jazz legend Wynton Marsalis . Then there are avowed haters , TV chef , and new host .