We are really enjoying fresh garden vegetables this summer. My husband has discovered cole slaw and tells everyone that “Beth is making a new thing.” I’ve blogged here before about the virtues of cabbage, but failed to mention cole slaw at that time.

As I’m writing, I want to paint a picture of daily life on the mountain. In summertime, produce from the gardens is integral to farm life. I wondered how long we’ve been enjoying cole slaw so I did a little research and thought I’d share it with you.

We often say “cold” slaw, and I think either cole or cold works just as well in the South. It turns out that cole was the word for cabbage in Middle English. Of course salad was food eaten from the very beginning; the Etymology Dictionary dates the word to the 1300’s. “Slaw” is another word for salad.

In defense of my southern dialect, “cold” was substituted universally when the word “cole” fell out of use in reference to cabbage.

Then there’s the question of recipes…I don’t care for vinegar slaw. It’s too much like eating a pickle. I want creamy mayonnaise in my cabbage salad. Any by the way, mayonnaise is a form of salad dressing – we’ll have to talk about that one day I suppose. Mayonnaise was invented in 1756 by a French chef. Of course, the French were already in the colonies at that time and making their mark on American cuisine. When I asked ole’ Google when Mayonnaise was first used in America; I learned it was 1838 in New York. However, I can’t help but wonder if it wasn’t around a little earlier than that, and maybe not incorporated in restaurant menus.