We brought this dish (photo #1) to a July 4th party and quite a few people proclaimed their preference for it over the coleslaw, and asked for the recipe. We love good coleslaw, but this is a more refreshing (and much less caloric) change of pace.

Serve it as a side (from a sandwich to including anything off the grill). Add a protein to turn it into a main course. We even top it with our frequent lunch go-to, a jar of flavored Tonnino tuna.

Instead of mayonnaise or vinaigrette, this slaw†† has heat and sweet notes.

Why is it called “Khmer?”

The Khmer people are native to Cambodia, where they comprise more than 95% of the population. The Khmer people have a long and rich history. The magnificent Hindu-Buddhist temple complex of Angkor Wat is a testament to the achievements of the Khmer Empire.

The contributor of this recipe, Hannah Heavener of Texas, spent her childhood in Cambodia, where it’s a favorite breakfast food. Hannah loves it as a side for lunch or dinner, “especially,” she notes, “with chicken satay.”

Thanks to Hannah and the Taste of Home Test Kitchen, which shared this recipe with us.

Because Hannah mentioned chicken satay as a perfect pairing, we include a recipe (photo #4).

We also took the liberty of garnishing our own version of the salad with roasted peanuts. Those who like more heat can choose spicy peanuts (photo #3).
 
 
KHMER PICKLED VEGETABLE SALAD

If you can’t find daikon (pronounced DYE-con) radishes, use any other radish—you don’t need to peel it. Daikon in particular (photo #6) is peeled because its skin can be slightly tough and sometimes bitter.

Daikon means “big root” in Japanese. Native to East Asia, its a member of the high-antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic Brassicaceae family.
 
Ingredients For 16 3/4-Cup Servings

For The Salad

 
For The Dressing

 
Garnish

 
Preparation
 
1. PLACE the salad ingredients in a large nonreactive† bowl.

2. COMBINE the vinegar, sugar, and salt in a 2-cup or larger glass measuring cup; microwave until warm, 2-3 minutes. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.

3. TOSS the dressing with the salad. Refrigerate, covered, at least 1 hour before serving for the flavors to meld.
 
 
SUGAR IN SOUTHEAST ASIAN DISHES

You may have noted that Southeast Asian cuisines—Cambodian, Malaysian, Thai, Vietnamese—use sugar in savory dishes. For example:

Vietnamese pho (noodle soup consisting of broth, rice noodles, and meat, often garnished with fresh herbs, bean sprouts), Thai pad thai (rice noodles, scrambled eggs, tofu or shrimp (or both), bean sprouts, and peanuts), or Malaysian char kway teow (flat rice noodles stir-fried with prawns, cockles [a type of clam], Chinese sausage, eggs, bean sprouts, and Chinese chives).

This tradition is primarily to achieve flavor balance rather than to make sweetness the dominant taste. The culinary philosophy centers on harmonizing five fundamental flavors: sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami (or spicy in some traditions).

Sugar acts as a balancing agent that rounds out sharp, acidic, or salty elements, e.g. fish sauce, soy or tamarind.

 
It should be noted that sugarcane originated in New Guinea and Southeast Asia, and was used for its sweetness by humans as long as 10,000 years ago. Before India first refined cane juice into crystallized sugar circa 350 C.E.**, many of these flavor principles developed using palm sugar, coconut sugar, or other less processed sweeteners.

The Western perception that it’s “a lot of sugar” often comes from cultural differences. Western palates may be more sensitive to sweetness in savory dishes.

In Western cooking, recipes might call for a pinch of sugar, for example to balance the tomato acidity in marinara sauce. But Southeast Asian cuisines apply this principle more extensively and systematically.

By the way, the first sugar cane planted in the new world was brought by Christopher Columbus to the Dominican Republic in 1493.
 
 
> The history of sugar cane.

> The history of sugar.

> The different types of sugar, a photo glossary.

> The history of cabbage.

> 30 delicious cabbage recipes.

> The year’s 9 cabbage holidays.

[1] Crunchy,tangy, and refreshing, with as much heat as you’d like, serve this recipe over the summer and beyond (photo © Taste Of Home).

[2] If you can’t find Thai chiles (prik kee nu, also called bird’s eye chile, you can easily substitute serrano chiles. See the footnote‡ for more options.

[3] We added our own garnish of crunchy roasted peanuts. If you like heat, use spicy peanuts. Here’s a recipe if you want to make your own (photo © Frank’s Red Hot)..

[4] A recipe for chicken satay with peanut sauce (photo © The Big Man’s World).

[5] Sugarcane grows from 6 to 20 feet tall (photo courtesy Genetic Literacy Project).

[6] Daikon, the Japanese radish (photo © Good Eggs).

You can tell by looking at the stalks (photo #5) that sugarcane and bamboo are related. They are both members of the grass family, Poaceae, which includes other important plants such as corn, rice, and wheat (all of the cereals are grasses).

Sugarcane’s genus and species are Saccharum officinarum, while bamboo belongs to a subfamily, Bambusoideae, and comprises numerous genera and species. Saccharum has additional, wild, species, but the one cultivated for consumption is Saccharum officinarum.
 
______________

*While this may seem like a lot of sugar, the rest of the ingredients are so low in calories that a 3/4 cup is 99 calories. Coleslaw also contains some sugar, and a 3/4 cup serving of coleslaw made with mayonnaise typically contains between 200 and 280 calories.

**Granulated sugar, as a common household item, became prevalent in Europe during the 18th century. While sugar available earlier, it was a luxury item for the wealthy. The increased production from sugar plantations established in the Caribbean and Brazil, coupled with advancements in refining techniques, led to a significant price drop and wider availability. By the 1800s, it was becoming a staple on most tables.

†A nonreactive bowl is one made from materials that do not interact with food, particularly acidic ingredients like tomatoes, citrus fruits, vinegar, and wine. This prevents the food from developing a metallic taste.

Nonreactive materials include ceramic/enamel, glass, plastics [those sold for food preparation], and stainless steel. Always use these materials when preparing or serving citrus-based desserts, guacamole, salad dressings, and sauces with acidic ingredients.

Reactive materials to avoid include cast iron and aluminum.

††Slaw is a type of salad, typically made with shredded cabbage and a creamy or vinegar-based dressing. While all slaws are salads, not all salads are slaws. Salads can have a wide variety of ingredients, dressings, and toppings, while slaw generally indicates a salad with shredded cabbage as a primary component.

‡The heat component of chiles, capsaicin, is contained in the seeds and the ribs.

Medium: Serrano peppers: If you’re looking for a less heat, Serranos typically range from 10,000 to 25,000 SHU. The green chiles are milder than the ripe red ones.

Hot: Bird’s eye chilies, a type of Thai chile, typically measure between 50,000 and 100,000 Scoville Heat Units (SHU) on the Scoville scale.

Hotter: Chiltepin peppers, while innocent-looking tiny rounds, can reach up to 100,000 SHU. Habaneros are significantly hotter, ranging from 100,000 to 350,000 SHU.
 
 

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[1] The #1 July 4th food search: American flag cheesecake. Here’s the recipe—and it’s no bake (photo © Colby Troy).

[2] It’s easy to make a trifle. If you don’t have a glass bowl, you can borrow one. Anchor Hocking has a nice pedestal bowl for $26. Here’s the recipe (photo © The Girl Who Ate Everything).

What special foods are Americans seeking to add to their July 4th feasts?

Here’s the scoop from Google Trends, based on U.S. search data sourced from May 24 to June 24 2025.

Not surprisingly, Americans sought red, white, and blue recipes to grace their Independence Day tables.

 
 

[3] The second-most-searched was an American flag charcuterie board. Here’s the recipe (photo © The Denver Housewife).
 
> The history of July 4th holiday.

> 60 more July 4th recipes.

> 80 more cheesecake recipes.

> The history of cheesecake.

> The year’s 16 cheesecake holidays.

July 1st is National Creative Ice Cream Day—and all of July is National Ice Cream Month. That’s plenty of time to try new flavors.

In the U.S., artisan glaciers (French) or gelatieri (Italian, singular gelataio), like to offer their customers rotating new and different options. Avocado, blue cheese, corn, booze/wine ice creams and sorbets, goat cheese, and olive oil ice creams have been around for some time (check out these recipes).

Birthday cake with sprinkles or cereal milk (e.g. with Fruity Pebbles or Lucky Charms) captivate the young at heart, while black (charcoal) appeals to the adventurous and the Goth.

International inspirations include black sesame, halva, kulfi, matcha, red bean (adzuki), tahini, ube (purple yam).

Here are some ice cream favors we’ve come across recently: beer and pretzel, Bourbon with candied bacon, cornbread, everything bagel seasoning, taro root, and Thai iced tea.

But these are tame compared to flavors from Lithuania. Lithuania Travel, the country’s national tourism development agency, has put together some distinctive Lithuanian ice cream flavors that may encourage cutting edge ice cream fanatics to schedule a trip.

> The year’s 50+ ice cream holidays

> The different types of frozen desserts: a photo glossary.

> The history of ice cream.
 
 
EXOTIC ICE CREAM IN LITHUANIA

Sure you can get the basic flavors, but how about these? It’s a glimpse into the world of unexpected flavors that you can taste in Lithuania. A map with other ice cream flavors dreamed up in dozens of different ice cream parlors and restaurants all over the country can be found here.

 
 

[7] Caviar lovers, here’s your frozen fantasy: sturgeon caviar ice cream topped with more caviar (photo © Petrossian).
 
EXOTIC ICE CREAM IN THE U.S. & ELSEWHERE

Note that ice cream doesn’t have to be sweet, it only has to be frozen!

There are numerous sweet-and-savory flavors that include cheese and fruit or savory herbs (Blue Cheese & Fig, Rosemary Cheddar & Passion Fruit, Goat Cheese & Guava. The cheeses add richness and cheesy notes (in the best sense). They can be made with honey or maple syrup instead of refined sugar.

However, ice cream can also be sweetener-free. Check out these completely savory ice cream flavors, with links to recipes including blue cheese, Cheddar cheese, goat cheese, and Parmesan ice creams; and more recipes here, including cream cheese and Stilton.

Charlie Trotter’s goat cheese ice cream recipe is especially versatile, enabling you to add anything from cracked black pepper to citrus zest to candied cherry tomatoes.

And for The Nibble’s 10th anniversary dinner, we had the chef make Ferran Adrià’s Parmigiano Ice Cream Sandwich On Parmigiano Tuiles.

There’s lots more, but here’s a sampling of the savory flavors that caught our eye.

 
 
So…what works for you?

[1] Herbal and pretty: dill ice cream. You can find it in the U.S. too, as well as basil, garlic, rosemary, tomato, and other flavors (photos #1, #2, and #3 via Lithuania Travel).

[2] That’s not black sesame, it’s cricket ice cream.

[3] Seaweed ice cream with lobster coral.

[4] Potato skin ice cream fully loaded is just one of the groovy flavors at Pretty Cool Ice Cream in Chicago (photo © Pretty Cool).

[5] Savory cauliflower ice cream topped with salmon caviar (photo © The Chefs Garden).

[6] This is not charcoal ice cream, popular for the past few years, but actual squid ink soft-serve. Here, it’s given a crunchy Corn Flakes garnish. There’s more about charcoal ice cream below (photo © Mobius 6 | Wikimedia).

The ice cream is usually vanilla- or coconut-flavored. The charcoal itself is nearly tasteless, although some people detect a subtle earthy or smoky note. It can be enhanced with colorful toppings. People like it for the novelty—and Instagrammability—of the color, not for any novel flavor.

The history of charcoal ice cream: One of the earliest documentations of charcoal ice cream was from a Bangkok blogger in October 2015. It was pitch-black charcoal soft-serve at a trendy parlor (photo #6).

From there, charcoal ice cream flew over social media. Morgenstern’s Finest in New York City introduced coconut-ash black ice cream in April 2016, triggering U.S. interest. In the spring of 2017 Little Damage in Los Angeles popularized almond-charcoal and vanilla-charcoal soft-serve.

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Here’s a red, white and blue cheesecake that you can really celebrate on July 4th: You don’t have to turn on the oven. This no-bake dessert sets in the fridge.

By the way, there are numerous patriotic holidays where red-white-and-blue desserts fit right in. See the footnote†.

The recipe follows, but first:

> The history of July 4th holiday.

> 60 more July 4th recipes.

> 80 more cheesecake recipes.

> The history of cheesecake.

> The year’s 16 cheesecake holidays.
 
 
RECIPE: NO-BAKE TRIPLE BERRY CHEESECAKE

This recipe is by Joyce Mummau of Sugarcreek, Ohio. It was tested by the Taste of Home Test Kitchen and shared with us.

Unlike baked cheesecakes, the recipe is egg-free so the texture is much lighter, perfect for summer.

You can also turn the filling into “cheesecake pudding” or trifle, without the crust.

The cheesecake can be stored in the fridge for 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months (instructions in the footnote*).

Prep time is 20 minutes, plus overnight refrigeration.

> Here’s a video.

 
Ingredients For The Crust

 
For The Filling

 
For The Topping

 
Preparation

1. MIX the cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a small bowl. Stir in butter. Press onto bottom and 1 inch up the side of an ungreased 9-inch springform pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. BEAT the cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice in a large bowl, until smooth. Gradually add the heavy cream a bit at a time; beat until stiff peaks form.

3. TRANSFER the mixture to the crust. Refrigerate, covered, overnight. When getting ready to serve…

4. GENTLY TOSS the berries and sugar in a bowl. Let them stand until juices are released from berries, 15-30 minutes.

5. REMOVE the cheesecake from the pan, first using a knife to loosen the sides. Then remove the rim.

You can either present the whole cheesecake topped with berries, or cut plain individual slices and then top with the mixed berries.
 
 
Variations

Instead of fruit, top the cheesecake with lemon curd, drizzled chocolate or caramel, crushed cookies (Oreos, Biscoff, gingersnaps), crushed brittle or toffee, caramel corn or candied nuts, even edible glitter in the theme color(s) of the occasion.

Or, for an adults-only dessert, marinate the fruit in orange liqueur (Cointreau, Grand Marnier, Triple Sec, etc.).

[1] Beauty, berries, and baking-free cheesecake (photo © Taste of Home).

[2] A bevy of berries grace the top of the cake (photo © Green Giant Fresh).

[3] Since there are no eggs in this recipe, you need full-fat cream cheese (photo © Wisconsin Cheese).

[4] Here’s a festive approach to July 4th cheesecake decoration (photo © Driscoll’s Berries).

CHECK OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING ON OUR HOME PAGE, THENIBBLE.COM.

[2] Banana Fudge Bomb Pops.

[3] Nerds-flavored Bomb Pops.

[4] Bomb Pop Extremes are super-sour.

[5] The back of the chuck wagon folded down to create a workspace with cabinets of utensils and ingredients (photos #6, #7, #12, and #13 © National Cowboy Museum.

[6] A chuck wagon cook at a re-enactor event. There are many re-enactor events annually in the West. See the footnote* below for some of them.

[7] From ham sandwiches…(photo © Kyle Nieber | Unsplash).

[8] …to lobster rolls (photo © Cousins Maine Lobster).

[9] Can’t afford to open a donut shop? Make it a donut food truck (photo © Rejoice Denhere | Unsplash).

[10] Perhaps the best known food truck is the taco truck (photo © The Township Of North Bergen).

Celebrate with us as we recall the origins of these two food holidays.
 
 
THE BOMB POP

The Bomb Pop, originally called the Rocket Pop, is a classic American frozen novelty with a history dating back to the height of Cold War-era patriotism.

It was created in 1955 in Kansas City, Missouri by James S. Merritt and D.S. “Doc” Abernathy, co-founders of Merritt Foods.

Their red (cherry), white (lime), and blue (blue raspberry) rocket-shaped ice pop was an instant success, not only on Independence Day but throughout ice pop season.

Instead of a straight ice pop, it was molded to resemble a rocket—a nod to the burgeoning space age and American military patriotism during the Cold War, s 45-year standoff between the West and the U.S.S.R. that ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

The Space Race began on August 2, 1955, when the Soviet Union responded to the U.S. announcement of the program to launch artificial satellites with a similar initiative. (The space race has its origins in the nuclear arms race between the two nations following the World War II.)

The name was shortly changed to Bomb Pop, likely for marketing impact as “bomb” carried a stronger punch and aligned with the explosive popularity and patriotic imagery of the treat. The name was snappier, and also more distinctive and trademarkable.

“Bomb” also evoked the idea of something cool in mid-century slang.

The Bomb Pop was an ice cream truck staple, and celebrates its 70th birthday in August.

As an anniversary promotion, you can head to BombPop.com/70Years to upload win a box of Bomb Pops. Each day, 70 fans will receive refund for a 12-pack of Original Bomb Pops—minus a nickel, the original price.

Head to the website to upload your receipt and “spot a nickel” (the original price of the Bomb Pop) in the presented lineup.

[11] Enter to possibly win a 12-pack for a nickle (photo © Bomb Pops | Blue Bunny).

In 1991, Merritt Foods was sold to Wells’ Dairy (now Wells Enterprises), the makers of Blue Bunny ice cream.

Bomb Pop has since expanded into many flavor variants and licensed character-themed versions, but the red-white-blue original remains the iconic version.

> The history of the Popsicle®, the original ice pop.

> The history of ice cream.

> The different types of frozen desserts: a photo glossary.

> A year of ice cream holidays.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF THE FOOD TRUCK

Food trucks have been serving meals on the go since the late 1800s, originating as horse-drawn chuck wagons to feed cattle herders during long cattle drives across the American frontier.

The first mobile kitchen, they were designed to be completely self-sufficient, allowing cooks to prepare meals wherever the herd stopped.

The “chuck” in chuck wagon comes from the slang term chuck, which means food or provisions—particularly the kind of hearty, simple fare that cowboys would eat on the trail.

Anyone who has seen a western film has no doubt seen a chuck wagon, with “cookie” feeding the cowboys. The cook (called “cookie”) was often the second most important person on a cattle drive after the trail boss.
 

[12] One of Charles Foodnight’s chuck wagons, on display at the National Cowboy Museum in Oklahoma City. See more about the covered wagon top in the footnote† below.
 
The most famous design was created by Charles Goodnight in 1866, who converted a military surplus wagon into a covered wagon version a mobile kitchen (photo #11, above and footnote† below). Made of sturdy wood, his well-designed and outfitted chuck wagon included:

 

[13] Some chuck wagons had a top (called the tilt) that enabled the canvas to be pulled out and staked for a protective canopy.
 
> Check out this great video on the history of the chuck wagon.

Want to know what the canopy on a covered wagon was called? Check out the footnote†.
 
 
Motorized Vehicles Appear

When motorized vehicles became common in the early 1900s, lunch wagons in cities started to use trucks instead of horses, but they retained many of the same organizational principles: compact storage, efficient workspace, and the ability to serve food quickly from a mobile platform.

The transition from horse-drawn wagons to motorized food trucks happened gradually through the early 20th century, but served the same purpose: bringing prepared food directly to hungry people.

> Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Annual Chuck Wagon Festival in May.

> Llano, Texas, Llano River Chuck Wagon Cook-off. This celebration is a past winner of the “Best Chuck Wagon Event” by the American Chuck Wagon Association, and True West Magazine’s Reader’s Choice for the “Best Chuck Wagon Cook-Off.” Held on National Food Truck Day.

> Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, Chuck Wagon Cookoff. Held on National Food Truck Day.

> Chandler, Arizona, held on National Food Truck Day. Authentic 1880s chuck wagon teams use historic cooking methods to create the best five-course meals fit for the trail. (Note that cowboys on the trail generally got just biscuits, beans, coffee, and sometimes pie.) Held on National Food Truck Day.

> Abilene, Texas, Western Heritage Classic Cookoff Champion competition, with dozens of chuck wagons from across the southwest competing. Held on National Food Truck Day.

> Cookeville, Tennessee, Demonstration Day, includes a Chuckwagon Festival Kids Cook-Off, immersive Wild West reenactments, and wagon rides. Held on National Food Truck Day.

The white canopy on top of a covered wagon is called a “tilt” or more commonly a “wagon.” Other terms that have been used include bonnet, canvas cover (the fabric it’s made from), wagon top, and prairie schooner top (the wagons themselves were called prairie schooners because their white canvas covers resembled ship sails from a distance).

The cover was usually made of canvas or other heavy cloth, stretched over wooden hoops or bows that created the distinctive arched shape. It provided essential protection from sun, rain, and dust during long journeys across the frontier. As you can see in photo #__, it could also be stretched out to create a canopy to shield cowboys from the sun during their meal break.

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