Secret of the Secret Sauce revealed!

Secret of the Secret Sauce revealed!

It's not just mayo and ketchup

McDonalds' Big Mac Secret Sauce is no longer such a secret. And it isn't, as many people have claimed, just mayonnaise and relish or just mayonnaise and ketchup. Oh no, my friend! It is mayonnaise, sweet pickle relish, yellow mustard, white wine vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika. 

(The paprika adds a slight bit of taste, but is mostly there to add color. The color of the added paprika is no doubt what caused a lot of people to believe that Secret Sauce involved ketchup somehow.)
 
The secret was revealed in an official YouTube video where the company's executive chef answered questions from the audience. Someone asked what is in McDonalds' secret sauce, and Dan Coudreaut revealed the answer.

I think most people were taken aback that McDonald's would finally divulge the contents of their famous Secret Sauce. Personally, I was also surprised that the ingredients proved to be so pedestrian. Where is the xanthan gum? The disodium inosiphate? The wacky chemicals that I assume infuse every single item at McDonald's? In fact, this is literally a recipe that you can make at home. Many people probably have all the ingredients in their kitchen right now.
 
Coudreaut explained that the secret to Secret Sauce is that it involves contrasting flavors: sweet and sour. Add those to a hamburger patty and you really have something special. In this, it follows a lot of classic food aesthetics. The Thai food aesthetic comes to mind, with the way it strives to balance sweet, salty, sour, and spicy. 
 
Special Sauce is actually part of a long tradition of creamy condiments that mesh sour and sweet. Most people assume that it is Thousand Island Dressing, which is a similar concoction that was popular in the 1950s. (My grandmother made a sauce by mixing mayonnaise and ketchup; she called it Thousand Island, although it wasn't quite. But what it was, was cheap.)
 
In Europe, particularly France, and in Cajun cooking, remoulade is the all-purpose sauce that goes with everything. A good remoulade is reminiscent of tartar sauce, but with a much more complicated flavor. It is usually served with meat, everything from fish and chips to thinly sliced roast beef. 
 
The Cajun version is often spicy, with a dash of Tabasco or other hot sauce to give it a nice kick. It is frequently served with cold cooked shrimp as an appetizer, or with hard boiled eggs.