Southern cooks prefer Duke's Mayonnaise made by C. F. Sauer Company in Richmond

Duke's MayonnaisePhoto byPublic Domain/Wikipedia

Duke’s Mayonnaise has a loyal Southern following thanks to an enterprising woman named Eugenia Duke who started selling sandwiches made with her homemade mayonnaise to soldiers stationed near Greenville, South Carolina.

She made a profit of only two cents a sandwich. The sandwich was not what became popular. The popularity was due to the homemade mayonnaise that gave it flavor. By 1919, Duke was selling over 10,000 sandwiches a day, making her a successful and profitable entrepreneur at a time when women were not recognized in the business world. Her sandwiches became so popular that Eugenia Duke could no longer meet the demand.

About C.F. Sauer Company

In 1929, Duke sold her recipe to the C.F. Sauer Company, which is still headquartered on West Broad Street in Richmond, Virginia.

C.F. Sauer established the first Duke's mayonnaise factory. Although the mayonnaise is still being made in a factory, the recipe has not been changed since Eugenia Duke made it for her sandwiches so long ago.

Duke's Mayonnaise's popularity

Sandwiches with MayonnaisePhoto byVictoria AleksandrovaonUnsplash

Southern Living explained why cooks in the South use Duke's Mayonnaise.

"Any Southerner who knows their way around a kitchen is familiar with Duke’s Mayonnaise, a staple for tomato sandwiches, chicken salad, and pimento cheese. The mayonnaise has a different taste than most commercial mayos."