- Do you like clam chowder especially New England clam chowder? If so, then you have something to celebrate.
- What is Chowder?
- Chowder is a seafood or vegetable stew or thickened soup, often served with milk or cream and mostly eaten with saltine crackers.
Chowder is usually thickened with broken up crackers, but some varieties are traditionally thickened with crushed biscuits.
There are many types of chowder, but New England clam chowder is perhaps the best known chowder and the most popular. New England clam chowder is typically made with chopped clams and diced potatoes, in a mixed cream and milk base with a small amount of butter.
New England Clam ChowderPhoto credit:oshuatrentNew England clam chowder is made with milk or cream, and the use of tomatoes is frowned upon. In fact, in 1939 the state of Maine made it illegal to put tomatoes in clam chowder.
Other common chowders include the following:
- Fish chowders, which uses any type of fish
- Corn chowder, which uses corn instead of clams
- Manhattan clam chowder, which substitutes tomatoes for the milk and cream and typically omits potatoes
- Potato chowder, which is often made with cheese
Chowders originated in fishing villages on the coast of France in the 16th century. Back then any kind of fish chowder was considered a poor man’s dish. Most recipes called for salt pork and biscuits, which were both part of a standard sailor’s ration.
Today you can make your own clam chowder or put up a couple of cans from the soup aisle of your local grocery store.
Celebrate New England Clam Chowder Day by eating a bowl of the delicious soup.
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