Study confirms mayonnaise as the most popular condiment in America

Sometimes, your sandwich just doesn't have the zip you're looking for, and therefore stands no chance at hitting the proverbial spot. According to a new study, there's one thing Americans time and time again reach for in that situation: Mayonnaise.

The creamy white stuff is, in fact, America's number one condiment, tailed distantly by ketchup. We love mayo so much, we spend upwards of $2 billion a year on the stuff—but, unfortunately, there's no account for where all that spread is going.

Ketchup, for its part, netted just $800 million last year, which doesn't even come close to touching how much we're willing to spend on mayonnaise. That's even more true for ketchup's runner-up, soy sauce, which nabbed $725 million in 2013. Judging by the numbers, it looks like we're putting mayonnaise on everything.

But why? Well, says researcher Richie King, mayo "owes a lot to the condiment's growth from a traditional sandwich add-on to an ingredient in everything from tuna salad to spicy tuna rolls." Oh, god, we really are putting mayo on everything.

But, hey, at least it's probably low-fat—that segment of the mayo market has doubled since it debuted in 2005. So, you know, we're watching our figures.

Problem is, we're also watching jars of delicious, delicious mayo go up on store shelves every day. And we're not strong enough to stop ourselves. The mayo, she calls to us.

[io9]