ISSUE 36, PICNIC, Part 3: Cole Slaw
Cole Slaw
Cole Slaw, like sanitation, companionate marriage, and the public debt, is a Dutch contribution to American culture. In its earliest manifestations it did not employ mayonnaise. Oil, salt, pepper, and vinegar were the original dressings. The variety of cabbage was important, with conical headed filderkraut and old large red Dutch cabbages the original choices, but drumheads and Charleston Wakefields later favorites. Any cabbage that tastes sweet and fresh raw will do.
The original Kohl salads that became coleslaw did not cook the cabbage, despite the fears of that segment of the population that feared dyspepsia, a gastric disorder throught to arise from eating raw vegetables and fruits. Despite not being cooked, the original formulae called for the shredded cabbage to sig in vinegar and salt for a good while before serving. The first vegetable to be added to the cabbage was usually onion. The addition of pickles, peppers, and a multitude of herbs was a later 19th century development. Sour cream was the first emulsifying addition. Mayonnaise came at the very end of the 19th century.
Fears of spoilage that attended mayonnaise required that cole saw become cold slaw—that it be refrigerated at home, and stuck in the beverage cooker on a picnic. I would rather sacrifice the mayo for less picnic fuss.
In some parts of the South a spirit of substitution reigned when it came to the vegetable at the heart of the dish. Collard slaw is found in places in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Celery law is the preparation that enjoyed a heyday in New York and the upper Midwest in the 20th century. I’ve turned down the one kale slaw I was offered as being too much of an idea. Of all the herb-centric slaws I’ve sampled, those that make dill forward have been the most satisfying. Just as dilled potato salad is a thing, so is dilled cole slaw. Tarragon cole slaw tasted too green goddess for my liking.
Originally categorized as a condiment as well as a salad, cole slaw is one of the sides that counters the fattiness and sauciness of barbecue. It is idea for fried fish, for adding to afish sandwich, or a hot dog. I’ve seen people in Mississippi heap chili over it. I’m too committed to rice as a foundation for chili, so I didn’t go there.