A Brief History of Clam Chowder (2024)

From Manhattan to New England, clam chowder is known for its competing varieties as much as for its comforting briny flavor. It seems every state on the East Coast has its own take on the popular soup — and even some of the West Coast states have tweaked the recipe to make it their own.Whether you like a thick creamy base, a bold red broth, or a clear broth of clam juice, there's a chowder for every soup lover. Here's a little history behind the famous soup and it's many iterations.

What is clam chowder?

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the definition of chowder is "a soup or stew of seafood (as clams or fish) usually made with milk or tomatoes, salt pork, onions, and other vegetables." While there are different types of chowder, the clam variety is undoubtedly the most well-known. The definition of the soup varies depending what part of the country you're in, but most include clams, potatoes, onions, and some form of pork. The biggest different between them is the broth: Some use milk to produce a thick, creamy broth, others use a red broth made with tomatoes and spices, and there's also a clear broth made from clam juice. While each region may prepare chowder differently, they all share one thing in common: all feel their clam chowder is the best.

When was clam chowder first created?

According to Savoring Gotham: A Food Lovers Companion to New York City, it is believed that the New England style of chowder was introduced to the region by French, Nova Scotian, or British settlers and became a common dish in the area by the 1700s. The soup continued to gain popularity throughout the years and,according to What's Cooking America, was being served in Boston at Ye Olde Union Oyster House (the oldest continuously operating restaurant in the country) by 1836.

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Clam chowder was so popular that its mollusk-packed flavor is described inHerman Melville's Moby Dick:

However, a warm savory steam from the kitchen served to belie the apparently cheerless prospect before us. But when that smoking chowder came in, the mystery was delightfully explained. Oh, sweet friends! hearken to me. It was made of small juicy clams, scarcely bigger than hazel nuts, mixed with pounded ship biscuit, and salted pork cut up into little flakes; the whole enriched with butter, and plentifully seasoned with pepper and salt.

How many different varieties are there?

The two most popular varieties are the New England-style and Manhattan-style, distinguished by their white and red colors, respectively. However, there are plenty of other distinct varieties from all over the East Coast — and some on the West Coast, as well. New England clam chowder was undoubtedly the first,described adoringly by Cape Cod author Joseph C. Lincoln:

A New England clam chowder, made as it should be, is a dish to preach about, to chant praises and sing hymns and burn incense before. To fight for. The Battle of Bunker Hill was fought for—or on—clam chowder; part of it at least, I am sure it was. It is as American as the Stars and Stripes, as patriotic as the national Anthem. It is 'Yankee Doodle in a kettle.'

New England clam chowder is defined as "a thick chowder made from clams, potatoes, onions, sometimes salt pork, and milk or cream."The recipe usually calls for heavy cream, light cream, or whole milk as the base for the soup. This addition of milk or cream — producing the soup's unmistakable white color — is the biggest difference between theNew England style and all the rest. This version is also often thickened with oyster crackers and doesn't include any vegetables except potatoes. Today, the soup can be found all over the country, but is still most popular in the North East. Maine and Massachusetts may be the two states most associated with the cream-based clam chowder. In fact, it is known as one of Maine's most iconic dishes and isconsidered a classic in Boston's historic neighborhoods.

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Manhattan clam chowder is most often recognized by its red color, coming from the use of tomatoes and tomato paste. The broth is much thinner than the thick New England version and while it also includes potatoes, most Manhattan-style chowders boast a variety of vegetables like carrots, celery, onion, and garlic for added flavor. The first recipe for "Manhattan Clam Chowder" was published in 1934 in a cookbook called Soups and Sauces by Virginia Elliott and Robert Jones. While the name "Manhattan" stuck, the soup has little to do with New York City's most popular borough.

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While it had its supporters, not everyone was a fan of the tomato-based twist on the original.In New York Cookbook, Molly O'Neill explains, "Manhattan clam chowder reverberated like an act of sabotage against the New England clam chowder tradition." She went on to detail the outrage associated with the soup's creation:

Manhattan clam chowder remained "a notable heresy." In 1939 a Maine legislator introduced a bill outlawing the use of tomatoes in chowder. In 1940, Eleanor Early, lambasted the "terrible pink mixture" in her book New England Sampler. Manhattan clam chowder, she wrote, "is only a vegetable soup and not to be confused with New England Clam Chowder, nor spoken of in the same breath. Tomatoes and clams," she wrote, "have no more affinity than ice cream and horseradish."

Not to be left out, New Jersey has also created its own version, which is more similar to Manhattan clam chowder. It's made with tomatoes, creamed asparagus, light cream, and bacon. It's also seasoned with Old Bay spice, parsley, and celery powder.

Going further south to Florida, St. Augustine callsMinorcan clam chowder one of its signature dishes. This one is similar to Manhattan-style in that it's tomato-based. However, Florida's version includes one very unique ingredient: datil pepper. The pepper — varying in color from green to a yellowish orange — is indigenous to Cuba and was brought to Florida hundreds of years ago. It's described as sweet, tart, and spicy, giving the soup it's one-of-a-kind flavor. The name Minorcan refers to Florida settlers from the island of Minorca, Spain who created the hearty soup with local ingredients in their Mediterranean style.

[Photo: Nick Solares]

There is also Rhode Island clam chowder, known for its clear broth and its use of quahogs, a type of clamdefined by its larger size (they may weigh up to 3 pounds). In fact, the small state also has a red version of the famous soup. Unlike the Manhattan-style chowder, this one is not made with any actual tomatoes —it's made with tomato purée— or any added vegetables.

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In the Outer Banks of North Carolina, there's a version dubbedHatteras Island-style clam chowder —a broth-based soup that skips the cream and tomatoes. It's commonly made with littleneck clams due to their small size and sweet flavor. The ingredients are cooked in clam juice diluted with water and brought to a boil to infuse the flavor of the clams into every bite. Classically, the dish only calls for salt and pepper as a seasoning.

There is also Cabo Clam Chowder,a South of the Border-inspired dish boasting bold Mexican flavors like chipotle. The recipe includes vegetables like onions, corns, jalapeños, and peppers, plus black beans, garlic, cilantro, cumin, and lime. Spicy flavors come from chipotle hot sauce and the dish is garnished with tortilla strips.