a term derived from the Dutch koolsla, formed by combining two Dutch words, kool meaning cabbage, and sla, an abbreviated word meaning salad. The salad in question is normally shredded cabbage mixed with mayonnaise and nowadays often with additions such as a little shredded carrot.
The form ‘cold slaw’ is also commonly met, and it is customary to say that this is simply the result of a misunderstanding on the part of people who do not know how the term originated. However, it is to be remarked that the earliest uses in America recorded by Craigie and Hulbert (1938) are in this form; they have citations for it from 1794 (‘a piece of sliced cabbage, by Dutchmen ycleped cold slaw’) and 1821, whereas the earliest for cole-slaw is from 1842.
Ayto (1993) remarks that the confusion here between cole and cold has led to ‘slaw’ being regarded, particularly in America, as an independent term for a cabbage dish—he even cites a reference in a Baltimore newspaper to ‘hot slaw’.
It seems clear that coleslaw reached England from the USA, and that acceptance of the term in the correct form ‘coleslaw’ was probably facilitated by the fact that there was an English word ‘cole’ meaning cabbage.
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
Ayto, John (1993), The Diner's Dictionary, Oxford: OUP.
Craigie, Sir William A., and Hulbert, James R. (1938–44), A Dictionary of American English on Historical Principles, vols i–iv, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
