Coleslaw is not an inherently Irish dish, nor is it inherently American- despite its popularity in both countries. The name and the dish come from the Netherlands, where dressing cabbage with vinegar kept it edible for longer periods (as well as being tasty). It’s come to represent American cuisine, but it has quite the following in Ireland, too. However, the Irish version has a few differences for sure.

For starters there’s no vinegar, lemon juice, or other acidic ingredients in the dressing. As you might have been able to guess if you know anything about Irish cuisine, this dressing is much milder than other coleslaw dressings.

Irish cooking is known for short ingredient lists and plain, good cooking that often shies away from spicy or acidic flavors. In place of vinegar are a couple of ingredients that have just a tiny bit if vinegar in them: mayonnaise and mustard.

Then to give this slaw a super rich and creamy flavor there’s some heavy cream and some sour cream mixed in. This means the flavor is extremely mild, but it also means that it goes with just about anything.

A popular way to have coleslaw in Ireland is to use it as a sandwich topping and this version is particularly good for this purpose. I like to enjoy this on a roast beef sandwich, but it goes well with bbq, too.

For the creamiest, mildest slaw it’s Irish coleslaw to the rescue. This dish is perfect for any get together where people love good food without any fuss.