Clam chowder

{{Infobox food

| name = Clam chowder

| image = Quail 07 bg 041506.jpg

| image_size = 300px

| caption = New England clam chowder

| alternate_name =

| country = United States

| region = New England

| creator =

| year = 18th century{{cite web|last1=Correa|first1=Cynthia|date=31 January 2016|title=A Brief History of Clam Chowder|url=http://www.eater.com/2016/1/31/10810568/clam-chowder-manhattan-hatteras-new-england-rhode-island-minorcan-new-jersey|website=Eater|publisher=Vox Media, LLC|access-date=August 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180830005021/https://www.eater.com/2016/1/31/10810568/clam-chowder-manhattan-hatteras-new-england-rhode-island-minorcan-new-jersey|archive-date=August 30, 2018|url-status=live}}{{cite magazine|title=Manhattan Clam Chowder vs. New England Clam Chowder|magazine=Time |date=January 31, 2012 |url=https://content.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,2105715_2105714_2105716,00.html|access-date=August 21, 2016|last1=Sanburn |first1=Josh }}

| type = Chowder

| main_ingredient = Clams, potatoes, salt pork, and onions. Cream or tomatoes may be added.

| variations = New England clam chowder, Manhattan clam chowder, Rhode Island clam chowder, others

| calories =

| other =

| cookbook = New England Clam Chowder

}}

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. It is believed that clams were used in chowder because of the relative ease of harvesting them.{{cite web |url=http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/ChowderHistory.htm |title=History of Chowder|access-date=2007-12-01 |publisher=What’s Cooking America }} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.tastingtable.com/1146198/the-three-most-popular-types-of-clam-chowder-explained/|title=The 3 Most Popular Types Of Clam Chowder, Explained|first1=Autumn|last1=Swiers|date=December 22, 2022|access-date=July 5, 2024|website=Tasting Table|publisher=Static Media}}

History

Early documentation of "clam chowder" as known today did not contain milk and was thickened during cooking using crackers or stale bread.{{Cite book |last1=Child |first1=Lydia |title=The American Frugal Housewife |date=1832 |page=59 |publisher=Carter, Hendee, & Company |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-5U4AQAAMAAJ&q=chowder}} The first recipe for Manhattan clam chowder, with tomatoes and no milk, was published before 1919, 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=

File:Manhattan Clam Chowder 1.jpg

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.{{Cite web|url=https://magazine.northeast.aaa.com/daily/life/food-dining/types-of-clam-chowder/|title=The Scoop on Different Types of Clam Chowder|date=2020-02-25|website=Your AAA Network|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-26|last1=Clark|first1=Molly}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.rimonthly.com/the-essential-rhode-island-quahog-guide/4/ |title=The Essential Rhode Island Quahog Guide |date=2020-09-01|website=RI Monthly |language=en-US| access-date=2021-06-03}} 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"{{Cite web|url=http://rockypointpark.com/index_files/Page533.htm|title=Rocky Point Clam Chowder|website=Rocky Point Recipes|language=en-US|access-date=2021-06-14}} as it was a popular menu item at the Rocky Point Amusement Park Shore Dinner Hall since the park opened in 1847.{{Cite web|url=http://bygonefoodandrecipes.blogspot.com/2010/01/rocky-point-shore-dinner-hall.html|title=The Rocky Point Shore Dinner Hall|date=2010-01-31|website=Bygone Food and Recipes|language=en-US|access-date=2021-06-14}}

This chowder was at times called by various names including "Clam Chowder – Coney Island Style" (1893).{{cite book |last1=Whitehead |first1=Jessup |title=Cooking for Profit |date=1893 |page=98 |publisher=The author |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UDhEAAAAYAAJ&dq=coney+island+chowder&pg=PA98}} Manhattan clam chowder is included in Victor Hirtzler's Hotel St. Francis Cookbook (1919) and "The Delmonico Cook Book" (1890) as "clam chowder".{{cite book |last1=Hirtzler |first1=Victor |title=The Hotel St. Francis cook book |date=1919 |page=363 |url=https://n2t.net/ark:/85335/m56x03}}{{cite book |last1=Filippini |first1=Alessandro |title=The Delmonico Cook Book |orig-year=1890 |year=2008|page=152 |publisher=Applewood Books |isbn=9781429011747 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O-Z4vHJNZ0UC&dq=delmonico+clam+chowder&pg=PA91}} The "Manhattan" name is first attested in a 1934 cookbook.

=New England clam chowder=

New England clam chowder, occasionally referred to as Boston or Boston-style clam chowder,{{cite book |last1=Hirtzler |first1=Victor |title=The Hotel St. Francis cook book |date=1919 |page=84 |url=https://n2t.net/ark:/85335/m56x03}} 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.{{cite book|author-link=Fannie Farmer|author-first1=Fannie Merritt|author-last1=Farmer|title=The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book|year=1896|page=128}} 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.{{Cite web |first= Sandy |last=Oliver |title=The Crown Pilot Cracker Escapade: 11 Years Later |publisher=The Working Waterfront |url=http://www.workingwaterfrontarchives.org/2008/03/27/the-crown-pilot-cracker-escapade/ |date=March 27, 2008 }}

=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. 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.{{cite web|url=http://www.longislandpress.com/2013/09/04/long-island-clam-chowder-secret-blend-slowly-catching-on/|title=Long Island Clam Chowder: Secret Blend Slowly Catching On|work=Long Island Press|date=September 4, 2013 |access-date=October 29, 2015|first1=Timothy|last1=Bolger}} 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.{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150121032325/http://libn.com/youngisland/2013/09/16/long-island-clam-chowder|archive-date=2015-01-21|url=http://libn.com/youngisland/2013/09/16/long-island-clam-chowder/|title=Long Island clam chowder?|author-first1=Louis |author-last1=Imbroto|date=16 September 2013|work=Young Island|publisher=Long Island Business News|access-date=October 29, 2015}}

= 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.{{Cite web |title=Hatteras-Style Clam Chowder Is A Carolina Tradition |url=https://www.southernliving.com/hatteras-style-clam-chowder-8631342 |access-date=2024-07-23 |website=Southern Living |language=en|first1=Craig|last1=Ruff|date=2024-05-20}}{{Cite web |last=Stancil |first=Ryan |date=2023-05-30 |title=Soup from the Sound |url=https://www.ourstate.com/soup-from-the-sound/ |access-date=2024-07-23 |website=Our State |language=en-US}}

= 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.{{Cite web |title=Minorcan Clam Chowder by Mary Ellen Masters, ‘The Queen of Chowder’ |url=https://totallystaugustine.com/minorcan-clam-chowder-by-mary-ellen-masters-the-queen-of-chowder/ |access-date=2024-07-23 |website=Totally St. Augustine |language=en-US}}