Allioli!

Catalans are convinced that everything tastes better with allioli, the potent garlic mayonnaise that enlivens dozens of dishes, from paellas to shellfish to fritters to boiled potatoes to grills. And who can disagree? Dating back to ancient Rome—Pliny the Elder mentions a similar sauce in the first century A.D.—allioli takes its name from the words all (garlic), and oli (oil). Unlike Provençal aioli, a true Catalan allioli is made without eggs or lemon juice, the oil painstakingly whisked, drop by drop, into a paste of mortar-pounded garlic. Handmade allioli tends to be rather thick, with a glossy sheen and enough garlic to ward off an army of vampires. Such patience and skill are required to emulsify the sauce the old-fashioned way that these days even the staunchest traditionalists are embracing the egg-and-blender method. To temper the garlic’s bite, modern chefs often blanch it, roast it, or sauté it in olive oil.