The Etymology of Aioli
Aioli is a transparent compound in its native Provençal: ai means garlic, òli means oil, and the sauce is exactly that — raw garlic pounded with olive oil into a thick emulsion. Both elements descend cleanly from Latin: allium gave Provençal ai (and French ail, Italian aglio), while oleum gave òli, olio, huile. The word reached northern French as aïoli around 1875 and English a generation later, riding the late-Victorian fashion for Mediterranean cooking. Modern restaurant aiolis usually include egg yolk, turning the sauce into a flavoured mayonnaise; classical Provençal recipes are stricter, demanding only garlic, oil, salt, and a steady mortar arm. The word survives in French festive vocabulary too: le grand aïoli is a traditional Friday meal of salt cod, vegetables, and a communal bowl of the sauce — the dish named, like so many Mediterranean staples, after its garlic-and-oil heart.