This Cabbage Side Dish Is So Good Tennessee Passed A Bill To Make It An Official State Food

When a food is good enough to nab a fancy title, you can expect it to be pretty darn good. When that dish is cabbage, you might be tempted to question said title. But, as a cabbage lover, I beg you to give hot slaw, Tennessee's official state food, a chance. I begrudgingly admit this version of coleslaw doesn't sound all that appetizing at first, but once you try it, you might agree with Tennessee that it's special enough to be the state's official food. That it has a place amongst other legendary dishes associated with Tennessee cuisine, such as Memphis barbecue and Nashville hot chicken, is pretty impressive. These dishes are worth a trip to Tennessee by themselves, which means hot slaw is something special.

The dish sounds like a heated version of traditional coleslaw, but, while the name implies a steaming dish of cooked cabbage, hot slaw is anything but. The heat comes from the pickled jalapeños, which accompany the shredded cabbage and sliced onions. It's also made with a combination of mayonnaise and mustard, so you still get the creaminess you'd expect from a coleslaw that becomes next level when you add in the spicy punch of peppers.

Tennessee State Representative Kevin Raper first proposed the bill that made hot slaw Tennessee's state food after judging the dish in the annual Hot Slaw and Art Y'all Festival, which now takes place every year in April. Raper worked with Tennessee State Senator Adam Lowe to get the bill approved, and the title became official in February 2024.

Coleslaw is a great palate cleanser, and has been around in some form since at least the fourth century BCE. Tennessee's hot slaw iteration is quite a bit younger. According to Tennessee history, it dates to 1955, when it was first served at the Star Vue Drive-In theater in Cleveland, Tennessee. The spicy crispiness of hot slaw hit home with locals, who began making their own versions. In fact, hot slaw is such a big deal in Cleveland that it's even the official capital of hot slaw. Today, you can find it in restaurants and stores around town.

However, mention hot slaw outside of Cleveland, Tennessee, and you might be met with a lot of confused looks. Still, there are plenty of other versions of coleslaw. There's a Hawaiian-inspired slaw sweetened with pineapple, or a Southwest-inspired slaw loaded with ingredients such as corn, black beans, cilantro, and lime. Head to Korea and you might find a baechu slaw that's similar to kimchi made with Napa cabbage, and Germany brings krautsalat to the table, a mayonnaise-free version of coleslaw flavored with vinegar and carraway seeds.

Like with any version of coleslaw that suits your tastebuds, some people like eating hot slaw as a snack by itself, or as a side dish. It's often used as a condiment, too, for hot dogs, hamburgers, and sandwiches. It would make a pretty interesting flavor swap in place of sauerkraut on a classic Reuben sandwich, for example.