Recently, I tried a recipe that asked for Kewpie mayonnaise as opposed to regular mayonnaise. Kewpie mayonnaise is a specific brand, but Japanese mayonnaise in general is highly regarded as the king of mayonnaise.  It differs from American mayo in a couple aspects.  First, it is made with rice wine vinegar as opposed to distilled vinegar.  It also uses egg yolks instead of white, and does not use any water.  These differences produce a creamer, richer, sweet but slight sour product.

Kewpie’s popularity in Japan cannot be overstated.  Japanese people often carry personal squeeze bottles with them to add to food when eating out.  They also will use it as salad dressing or as a sauce for vegetables.

I am here to tell you IT’S A TRICK!  Do not get sucked in!  In order to make the decision for yourself, I have listed the (few) pros and the (vast) cons below.

Pros:

• It is very creamy and smooth.
• It has a unique flavor that everyone should try once.
• It is a true ethnic experience.

Cons:

• What gives Kewpie its unique flavor is not a secret.  According to this website, it has just “a touch” of the controversial ingredient MSG.
• It is way too thick.  Think of whipped butter consistency.
• It may have been my mind playing tricks on me knowing that it had MSG in it, but it was overly salty.
• Kewpie, at least in the form I was able to get it in, came in a squeeze bottle, except it wasn’t like a typicaly Ketchup bottle.  It was much more flexible plastic, almost rubber like.  Squeezing that and being able to feel the thick mayo consistency was almost enough for me to not eat it.
• For the last time, it has MSG! Need I say more?

But don’t listen to me, try it for yourself!