Cole slaw is a popular side dish that might have seen its humble beginnings in ancient Rome in some form or fashion. While many people see cole slaw as an American dish these days, it does have a following all around the world in a number of forms. The basis of a traditional cole slaw recipe is typically shredded cabbage, but beyond that, you can expect the ingredients to change quite a bit from dish to dish. It’s all a matter of ingredients you might have on hand as well as what your taste buds are craving.

The Traditional Cole Slaw Recipe

What many people in the American South call cole slaw is a concoction of shredded cabbage, usually the white variety, with shredded carrots thrown in for some color. The dressing is often sweet and tangy with the sweet coming from salad dressing mayonnaise and the tangy coming from vinegar. In grocery stores, you can buy the cabbage already pre-shredded in bags to make your cole slaw recipe easier to prepare. Some bagged varieties even include red cabbage for some additional color along with the shredded carrots.

Variations of the Cole Slaw Recipe

Where you live in America will often dictate how your cole slaw recipe is prepared and how it will taste. In the South, you might encounter the traditional cole slaw with mayonnaise dressing along with the addition of mustard. In others, onions are sometimes added or even apples, pineapple, celery, green pepper and raisins.

In addition to the cold cole slaw recipe variations, there are also a number of warm versions as well that have quite a following. Most of the time, when a cole slaw recipe calls itself ‘warm’ that really refers to the way the dressing is prepared, which usually a vinegar based dressing brought to a boil before being poured over the cabbage and tossed together.  A freezer version of coleslaw even exists for those “just in case” times that you want to prepare in advance.

Due to many Asian influences in the country, there is a popular Asian cole slaw recipe that is floating around that incorporates shredded Chinese cabbage or red cabbage, bok choy, bean sprouts, sesame oil, rice vinegar, toasted sesame seeds, cilantro and a few other ingredients. Other variations of Asian cole slaw include uncooked oriental flavor Ramen noodles with the spice packet used in the dressing and the noodles used for some crunch.

A Cole Slaw Recipe Wrap-up

The bottom line is that there is probably a cole slaw recipe for every taste, ethnic menu and season. Your job is to determine what you are in the mood for and then go about finding the right recipe. When it comes to a cole slaw, your best bet is to look to the internet for inspiration as you will get a global idea of what recipes are out there - much more than if you cracked open your Betty Crocker or Good Housekeeping cookbooks.

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