Each year on February 25th people across the nation have a bowl and spoon ready to be filled with clam chowder as they prepare to participate in National Clam Chowder Day.
A clam chowder in it’s simplest form is a soup or stew containing clams or fish. The most common type of chowder includes milk or cream as well as potatoes, though the Manhattan clam chowder has tomatoes.
The origin of the word “chowder” is up for a little bit of debate. The French word for cauldron is “chaudiere”. The English word “jowter” means fish peddler. Both are on the hook for possible origins.
In chowder, along with the clams, it is common to find diced potatoes, onions (often sautéed in pork or bacon drippings) and celery.
Following is a list of the primary clam chowder variants:
- New England clam chowder
- Manhattan clam chowder
- Rhode Island clam chowder
- Delaware clam chowder
- New Jersey clam chowder
- Hatteras clam chowder
- Minorcan clam chowder
- Long Island clam chowder
HOW TO OBSERVE
To observe National Clam Chowder Day, enjoy one of the following mouth-watering clam chowder recipes:
My Best Clam Chowder
Manhattan Clam Chowder
New Jersey Clam Chowder
St. Augustine Minorcan Style Clam Chowder
Use #NationalClamChowderDay to post on social media.
