chow chow
In Southern and Appalachian speech, "chow-chow" is a tangy-sweet pickled relish made from cabbage, peppers, onions, and other garden odds and ends. More than food, it’s a tradition of stretching the harvest and adding zing to country meals.
Hillbilly Dude Says...
Lots of folks put 'chow chow' on their soup beans. Super common. We always used onions - Vidalias if you could get 'em. Pronunciation
[CHOW-chow]
Meaning & Usage
- A Southern pickled relish (noun)
Mae:
Want somethin’ on them pintos?
Want somethin’ on them pintos?
Earl:
Yep - pass the chow-chow.
Yep - pass the chow-chow.- A way to preserve late garden vegetables (noun, figurative)
Mae:
What we gonna do with these scraps?
What we gonna do with these scraps?
Earl:
Make us some chow-chow - nothin’ goes to waste.
Make us some chow-chow - nothin’ goes to waste.other spellings: relish, pickled relish, garden pickle, chow-chow on beans, jar of homemade chow-chow, and pass the chow-chow
★ Chow-chow varies from family to family - some make it sweeter, some hotter. But it’s always a way to stretch the garden and add flavor to beans or greens. ★
Origin
Likely from Pennsylvania Dutch or German immigrants who made mixed pickled relishes, the word "chow-chow" took root in the South by the 1800s. In Appalachia, it became a standard way to use up end-of-season vegetables.
Notes
Still widely known in the South and Appalachia, but outside the region, most people think "Chow Chow" means the fluffy dog breed. In Southern kitchens, though, it means a jar of relish waiting on the shelf.
Say It Like a Southerner
Said plain: "chow-chow." Quick, doubled, with both words the same.