Chow-chow — a sweet-and-sour pickled vegetable relish made from the end-of-garden surplus (green tomatoes, cabbage, onion, bell pepper, and whatever else the garden produced in excess) — is the Appalachian answer to what every gardener faces in September: too many vegetables and not enough people to eat them fresh. The relish is chopped, brined, cooked briefly with sugar, vinegar, mustard seed, celery seed, and turmeric, and canned in jars for year-round use. Every Appalachian family's chow-chow recipe is different because every garden's surplus is different — the relish is a document of what grew that year. The name likely derives from the Chinese-English pidgin *chow-chow* (mixed), possibly introduced through Chinese railroad workers or through colonial trade routes.
A chunky, colourful relish of chopped green tomato, cabbage, onion, and bell pepper (green and red) in a sweet-sour mustard-vinegar brine with visible mustard seed, celery seed, and a yellow tinge from turmeric. The texture should be crisp — the vegetables should still have bite despite the cooking and the brine. The flavour should be sweet, tart, and mustardy simultaneously, with enough heat from the mustard to register but not enough to call it spicy.
Alongside beans, cornbread, fried potatoes, collard greens — anywhere a sweet-sour, crunchy condiment improves a simple, hearty meal. Chow-chow is the Appalachian table condiment the way hot sauce is the Louisiana table condiment and pickled peppers are the Southern table condiment.
1) Chop the vegetables to a uniform size — small dice (5mm) ensures even brining and consistent texture. 2) Salt the chopped vegetables and let them sit for 4-8 hours (or overnight) before cooking — the salt draws out moisture, firms the vegetables, and prevents the finished relish from being watery. 3) The brine: cider vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, celery seed, turmeric, sometimes mustard powder. Cook the drained vegetables in the brine for 10-15 minutes — just enough to heat through and infuse the flavour, not enough to soften the vegetables. They should remain crisp. 4) Can immediately in sterilised jars with a boiling-water-bath process for shelf-stable storage.
Chow-chow on soup beans (AM2-10) — the sweet-sour crunch against the creamy, smoky beans is the pairing that defines Appalachian table condiments. Chow-chow on hot dogs, hamburgers, and sandwiches — it replaces both pickle relish and mustard, doing the work of both. The recipe varies by family, by region, and by year — some versions add green beans, corn, cauliflower, or hot peppers. The recipe is a living document. Arguing about chow-chow recipes is an Appalachian tradition as old as the relish itself.
Overcooking the vegetables — they should be crisp in the finished relish. Soft chow-chow has lost its purpose. Not salting and draining — excess moisture produces a watery, thin relish. Using only one vegetable — chow-chow is a mixed relish. The combination of green tomato, cabbage, onion, and pepper provides the textural and flavour complexity.
Ronni Lundy — Victuals; The Foxfire Book; Mark Sohn — Appalachian Home Cooking