Coleslaw

part of: Cabbage

Coleslaw is a simple, crunchy salad made from finely shredded raw cabbage — usually white or a mix of white and red — with grated carrot and a creamy dressing. The dressing is typically mayonnaise-based, often with a touch of vinegar or sugar to balance the richness.

It’s a ubiquitous side dish at takeaway shops, barbecues, and fast food restaurants across Australia. Coleslaw pairs naturally with fried chicken, burgers, pulled pork, and fish and chips. It adds a cool, crisp contrast to hot, rich, or fried foods.

Variations are endless — some versions use a vinegar-based dressing instead of mayo, others add apple, fennel, or Asian-inspired flavours with sesame and rice vinegar. The fast-food style tends toward the sweeter, creamier end of the spectrum.

Farmed
photograph to come — from twenty years of markets, farms and kitchens

How it's made

Cabbage heads are trimmed, cored, and finely shredded, either by hand or machine. Carrots are peeled and grated. The shredded vegetables are tossed together with a dressing made from mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and sometimes mustard or celery seed. The mixture is chilled to allow the flavours to meld and the cabbage to soften slightly. Commercial versions are prepared in bulk and packaged in sealed containers for distribution to food outlets.

Nutrition (per 100g)

Energy 152kcal
Protein 0.9g
Carbs 13g
Fat 9.9g
Fibre 1.9g Sugar 12.2g
Mass Distribution

1 package is about 116 g — roughly 180 kcal of this.

What it costs the planet (per kilo)

Carbon ≈0.64kg
Freshwater ≈152.99L
Land ≈0.52m²

≈ Estimated — worked out from a category-typical value further up its supply chain. Where this comes from →

Where it comes from

In the kitchen

Used as

creamy cold side salad

Classic dishes
  • BBQ coleslaw
  • Fish tacos
  • Pulled pork sandwich

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Where this data comes from

Nutrition data from

USDA

How it was calculated

SR Legacy

Full credits, licences, and methods: the sources page →

Where to next

made fromCabbage, leaves goes well withcabbage goes well withcarrot goes well withapple goes well withvinegar goes well withonion goes well withmayonnaise shares a sourceCooked Cabbage shares a sourceGreen Cabbage shares a sourcePickled Cabbage shares a sourceSauerkraut
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