If a Tennessee GOP “slawmaker” (heh) gets his way, “hot slaw” will become an official state food of Tennessee.
The legislation supporting the idea advanced in a House committee of the Tennessee General Assembly Tuesday. A companion bill would make Cleveland, Tennessee, the hot slaw capital of the state.
Never heard of hot slaw? Many members of the House Public Service Subcommittee hadn’t either.
“It’s more of a mustard, vinegar, hot pepper type of slaw,” explained Rep. Kevin Raper (R-Cleveland), sponsor of the bills. “A lot of people thought that it was just cold slaw heated up. It’s nothing like that.”
Raper explained that the bill would make hot slaw “an official state food, not the state food,” stressing the words “an” and “the.” However, the bill’s caption, the brief but official language explaining the bill, says that the legislation ”designates hot slaw as the official state food.” Raper explained that other state foods could be barbecue from Memphis, hot chicken from Nashville, and Mt. Dew from Johnson City.
Hot slaw got its start in an old Cleveland drive-in movie theater called the Starview, which opened in 1955. Owners there tinkered with a recipe until they got it right, a recipe that is still secret today, Raper said.
The slaw is so popular around Cleveland that grocery stores stock it and restaurants serve it. Each spring The Hot Slaw Festival celebrates the dish in Cleveland, in which judges pick the favorite version submitted by local cooks.
“Hot saw is similar to coleslaw,” Raper said. ”It’s not a heated food. It is served cold. It’s a lot like cole slaw but it consists more of mustard, vinegar, peppers to create a unique flavor. Hot slaw in Cleveland has evolved from a side dish to use [as a condiment] on hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, barbecue, and even in lieu of chow-chow at times, and pinto beans as a result.”
While Raper’s other bill would officially make Cleveland the hot slaw capital of Tennessee, he said the city has already unofficially deemed itself the hot slaw capital of the U.S.
According to the Secretary of State’s office, Tennessee has two state foods. The tomato is the state fruit. Milk is the state beverage. Legislation last year made pumpkin pie the state’s official pie.
