Kewpie celebrates a century

August 13, 2025 by
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Kewpie mayonnaise, the Japanese mayonnaise with devotees around the globe, celebrates its 100th birthday this year. Its creator, Toichiro Nakashima, was inspired to create the condiment after visiting the United States in 1915 as an intern for Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce. There he was exposed to mayonnaise, which was having a moment in American cuisine.

After returning to Japan, Nakashima perfected his own mayonnaise recipe, using only egg yolks (for extra richness), vegetable oil, rice vinegar, and a newly developed ingredient: MSG. He hit upon a winning combination, purchased the Japanese rights to the Kewpie doll, and the rest is delicious history. Kewpie mayonnaise quickly became popular in its home country, but its story doesn’t end there. The savory condiment gained a following beyond Japan, and it is now sold in 79 countries and regions.

This fall, there’s even a cookbook coming out to celebrate a century of Kewpie. Titled For the Love of Kewpie and written by Elyse Inamine and Jessie YuChen, the book offers an inside look, from the secrets to the unique formula (it’s all about the eggs!) to the story behind the iconic bottle design and how Kewpie ended up with its own museum and holiday. There are 286 online recipes that specify Kewpie mayonnaise in the EYB Library, including a few copycat recipes so you can make your own at home.

Category: Antipasto, Book News

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5 Comments

  • matag  on  August 13, 2025

    Just bought some for the first time. There is a difference.

  • Rinshin  on  August 13, 2025

    There is a slight difference in taste between Kewpie made in Japan and sold in Japan to US produced Kewpie.

  • Fyretigger  on  August 13, 2025

    To me, Kewpie all by itself tastes like a deviled egg. I had Chicken Katsu with Cherry Blossom Tartar Sauce in Japan . I can usually take or leave tartar sauce, but this stuff was amazing! I had to find a recipe when I came home, and this is the recipe I landed on: https://pickledplum.com/tartar-sauce-recipe/

    I did my best to follow it exactly and I loved the result.

  • hillsboroks  on  August 14, 2025

    I’ve never seen Kewpie in my local grocery stores but have read about here and elsewhere for years. I was pleasantly surprised to find it at my local Costco yesterday.

  • VulgarBulgur  on  August 22, 2025

    I’d never heard of Kewpie until Liz Cook posted a potato salad recipe in her Haterade newsletter recently and mentioned it as the preferred mayo option. Was surprised to see it at my local Safeway today.

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