chow-chow an American term which came into use in the mid-19th century and was defined by the grocer Artemas Ward (1923) as: ‘a mixture of pickles of various sorts, especially mixed vegetables, in mustard. Also, and originally, a Chinese sweetmeat consisting of pieces of orange-peel, ginger and numerous other articles put up in sirup.’ Weaver (1993) suggests that chow-chow was derived from a ‘root recipe’ for ‘Yellow Pickle, or Axe-jar’, for which he cites a publication of 1837. See also achar.
