1785-95; said to be < dialectal Chinese; compare Guangdong dial. gáu dog
chow-chow
[chou-chou] /ˈtʃaʊˌtʃaʊ/
noun
1.
a Chinese mixed fruit preserve.
2.
a relish of chopped mixed pickles in mustard sauce.
Origin
1785-95; < Chinese Pidgin English
Examples from the web for chow chow
Another favorite, chow chow, is a sour-tasting relish made from a variety of vegetables.
They evidently had not expected us quite so soon and stayed behind to bring some chow chow with them.
Serve with arugula, lemon aioli sauce and chow chow.
British Dictionary definitions for chow chow
chow-chow
noun
1.
a thick-coated breed of the spitz type of dog with a curled tail and a characteristic blue-black tongue; it came originally from China Often shortened to chow
2.
a Chinese preserve of ginger, orange peel, etc in syrup
3.
a mixed vegetable pickle
Word Origin
C19: from pidgin English, probably based on Mandarin Chinese cha miscellaneous