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Clam chowder
Soup containing clams and broth or milk

Clam chowder is any of several chowder soups in American cuisine containing clams. In addition to clams, common ingredients include diced potatoes, salt pork, and onions. Other vegetables are not typically used. It is believed that clams were used in chowder because of the relative ease of harvesting them. Clam chowder is usually served with saltine crackers or small, hexagonal oyster crackers.

The dish originated in the Northeastern United States, but is now commonly served in restaurants throughout the country. Many regional variations exist, but the three most prevalent are New England or "white" clam chowder, which includes milk or cream, Manhattan or "red" clam chowder, which includes tomatoes, and Rhode Island or "clear" clam chowder, which omits both.

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History

Early documentation of "clam chowder" as we know it today did not contain milk and was thickened during cooking using crackers or stale bread.3 The first recipe for Manhattan clam chowder, with tomatoes and no milk, was published before 1919,4 and the current name was attested in 1934.

Primary variants and styles

As recipes for clam chowder spread throughout the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries, many regionally developed variants have arisen.

Manhattan clam chowder

Manhattan clam chowder has a red, tomato-based broth and unlike New England clam chowder there is no milk or cream. Manhattan-style chowder also usually contains other vegetables, such as celery and carrots to create a mirepoix.5 Thyme is often used as a seasoning.

Many sources attribute its creation to Rhode Island's Portuguese fishing communities who were known both for their traditional tomato-based stews and for their frequent travels to New York City's Fulton Fish Market during the mid-1800s.6 While Rhode Island clam chowder is clear, it was relatively common in Rhode Island for some cooks to add tomato sauce to their chowder. In Rhode Island this style chowder is also frequently referred to as "Rocky Point Clam Chowder"7 as it was a popular menu item at the Rocky Point Amusement Park Shore Dinner Hall since the park opened in 1847.8

This chowder was at times called by various names including "Clam Chowder – Coney Island Style" (1893).9 Manhattan clam chowder is included in Victor Hirtzler's Hotel St. Francis Cookbook (1919) and "The Delmonico Cook Book" (1890) as "clam chowder".1011 The "Manhattan" name is first attested in a 1934 cookbook.12

New England clam chowder

New England clam chowder, occasionally referred to as Boston or Boston-style clam chowder,13 is a milk- or cream-based chowder, and is often of a thicker consistency than other regional styles. It is commonly made with milk, butter, potatoes, salt pork, onion, and clams.14 Flour or, historically, crushed hard tack may be added as a thickener.

New England clam chowder is usually accompanied by oyster crackers. Crackers may be crushed and mixed into the soup for thickener, or used as a garnish.15

Rhode Island clam chowder

Rhode Island clam chowder is made with clear broth, and contains no dairy or tomatoes. It is common in southeastern Rhode Island through eastern Connecticut.16 In Rhode Island, it is sometimes called "South County Style" referring to Washington County, where it apparently originated.

Long Island clam chowder

Long Island clam chowder is part New England–style and part Manhattan-style, making it a pinkish creamy tomato clam chowder. The name is intended as humorous: Long Island is between Manhattan and New England.17 The two parent chowders are typically cooked separately before being poured in the same bowl. This variant is popular in many small restaurants across Suffolk County, New York.18

Hatteras clam chowder

Served throughout North Carolina's Outer Banks region, this simple variation of clam chowder has clear broth, bacon, potatoes, and onions. It is usually seasoned with generous amounts of black pepper.1920

Minorcan clam chowder

Minorcan clam chowder is a spicy traditional version found in restaurants in northeastern Florida, particularly in St. Augustine. It has a tomato broth base, and includes Spanish datil pepper, an extremely hot chili comparable to the habanero.21

See also

  • Food portal
Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on
  • New England Clam Chowder
Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on
  • Manhattan Clam Chowder
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Clam chowder.

References

  1. "History of Chowder, History of Clam Chowder, History of Fish Chowder". Whatscookingamerica.net. Retrieved December 1, 2007. http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/ChowderHistory.htm ↩

  2. Swiers, Autumn (December 22, 2022). "The 3 Most Popular Types Of Clam Chowder, Explained". Tasting Table. Static Media. Retrieved July 5, 2024. https://www.tastingtable.com/1146198/the-three-most-popular-types-of-clam-chowder-explained/ ↩

  3. Child, Lydia (1832). The American Frugal Housewife. Carter, Hendee, & Company. p. 59. https://books.google.com/books?id=-5U4AQAAMAAJ&q=chowder ↩

  4. Hirtzler, Victor (1919). The Hotel St. Francis cook book. p. 363. https://n2t.net/ark:/85335/m56x03 ↩

  5. Clark, Molly (February 25, 2020). "The Scoop on Different Types of Clam Chowder". Your AAA Network. Retrieved February 26, 2020. https://magazine.northeast.aaa.com/daily/life/food-dining/types-of-clam-chowder/ ↩

  6. "The Essential Rhode Island Quahog Guide". RI Monthly. September 1, 2020. Retrieved June 3, 2021. https://www.rimonthly.com/the-essential-rhode-island-quahog-guide/4/ ↩

  7. "Rocky Point Clam Chowder". Rocky Point Recipes. Retrieved June 14, 2021. http://rockypointpark.com/index_files/Page533.htm ↩

  8. "The Rocky Point Shore Dinner Hall". Bygone Food and Recipes. January 31, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2021. http://bygonefoodandrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/01/rocky-point-shore-dinner-hall.html ↩

  9. Whitehead, Jessup (1893). Cooking for Profit. The author. p. 98. https://books.google.com/books?id=UDhEAAAAYAAJ&dq=coney+island+chowder&pg=PA98 ↩

  10. Hirtzler, Victor (1919). The Hotel St. Francis cook book. p. 363. https://n2t.net/ark:/85335/m56x03 ↩

  11. Filippini, Alessandro (1890). The Delmonico Cook Book. Applewood Books. p. 152. ISBN 9781429011747. 9781429011747 ↩

  12. Correa, Cynthia (January 31, 2016). "A Brief History of Clam Chowder". Eater. Vox Media, LLC. Archived from the original on August 30, 2018. Retrieved August 21, 2016. http://www.eater.com/2016/1/31/10810568/clam-chowder-manhattan-hatteras-new-england-rhode-island-minorcan-new-jersey ↩

  13. Hirtzler, Victor (1919). The Hotel St. Francis cook book. p. 84. https://n2t.net/ark:/85335/m56x03 ↩

  14. Fannie Merritt Farmer, The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, 1896, p. 128 /wiki/Fannie_Merritt_Farmer ↩

  15. Oliver, Sandy (March 27, 2008). "The Crown Pilot Cracker Escapade: 11 Years Later". The Working Waterfront. http://www.workingwaterfrontarchives.org/2008/03/27/the-crown-pilot-cracker-escapade/ ↩

  16. Clark, Molly (February 25, 2020). "The Scoop on Different Types of Clam Chowder". Your AAA Network. Retrieved February 26, 2020. https://magazine.northeast.aaa.com/daily/life/food-dining/types-of-clam-chowder/ ↩

  17. Bolger, Timothy (September 4, 2013). "Long Island Clam Chowder: Secret Blend Slowly Catching On". Long Island Press. Retrieved October 29, 2015. http://www.longislandpress.com/2013/09/04/long-island-clam-chowder-secret-blend-slowly-catching-on/ ↩

  18. Louis Imbroto. "Long Island clam chowder?". Young Island. Archived from the original on January 21, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150121032325/http://libn.com/youngisland/2013/09/16/long-island-clam-chowder ↩

  19. Ruff, Craig (May 20, 2024). "Hatteras-Style Clam Chowder Is A Carolina Tradition". Southern Living. Retrieved July 23, 2024. https://www.southernliving.com/hatteras-style-clam-chowder-8631342 ↩

  20. Stancil, Ryan (May 30, 2023). "Soup from the Sound". Our State. Retrieved July 23, 2024. https://www.ourstate.com/soup-from-the-sound/ ↩

  21. "Minorcan Clam Chowder by Mary Ellen Masters, 'The Queen of Chowder'". Totally St. Augustine. Retrieved July 23, 2024. https://totallystaugustine.com/minorcan-clam-chowder-by-mary-ellen-masters-the-queen-of-chowder/ ↩