My whole life I assumed Coleslaw was a French word meaning “good on pulled pork sandwich.” I was wrong.
Coleslaw, or a variation of a cabbage and vinegar based salad that involved eggs, has been consumed since Ancient Rome. Modern variations take the egg and crank it up a notch by using mayonnaise instead of vinaigrette.
The origin of the term “Coleslaw” comes from the Dutch word, koolsla, which was a shortened version of the term koolsalade, which literally meant “Cabbage Salad.” The change from “Koolsla” to “Coleslaw” came from Dutch immigrants to, you guessed it, America. As a result, Coleslaw in its current form is largely considered an American culinary achievement, first appearing in American literature as early as 1785.