Clam Chowder has a long and chequered history. It goes back to the desperation of the French migrants to the New World, to re-create some of the comfort foods of their homeland. They threw in some of the day's catch, added on potatoes, bacon and vegetables, cooked it in broth, simmered it in milk or cream and served it with ship's biscuits. Thus was born New England fish or clam chowder, an echo of the French chaudiere, the stove on which it was originally made. It caught on quickly as a surefire way to douse the pangs of hunger - a thick and chunky soup which could be assembled quickly and left to simmer while other work got done.
More and more local variations emerged, with meat jumping into the fray, and corn when vegetarianism came into vogue. Portuguese immigrants, with vague recollections of tomato-based stew back home, introduced tomato instead of milk. This sparked off a furious debate, with an Assemblyman in Maine even attempting, in 1939, to pass a legislation to declare tomato-based chowders illegal! He succeeded. It's unclear when the ban was repealed, because, to this day, the red chowder has managed to co-exist peacefully with the white one, though January 21st is officially National New England Clam Chowder Day in the USA, while all other variants of clam chowder have to make do with February 25th as their national day. Scornful New Englanders called the wannabe red clam chowder "Manhattan Clam Chowder" because, to call someone a New Yorker is supposedly an insult.
Today, chowder is found in menus around the world, even Chinese. The ubiquitous Sweet Corn Chicken Soup, a staple in most Indian restaurants, is possibly a variant of the same theme. Here are a few recipes which could help you in your quest to include global cuisine in your everyday culinary journey:
1.New England Clam Chowder:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSRIb9L74sg[/embed]
This is a really rich chowder, as it's watered (!) down with cream, meaning that the cream forms the liquid base. Your stomach and taste buds are sure to revel in it.
2.Healthy Corn Chowder:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8ROhLSJoBo[/embed]
Jamie Oliver's nod to vegetarianism. A totally heart-friendly recipe, substituting olive oil and low-fat milk for butter and cream respectively.
3.Manhattan Clam Chowder
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTr-Z5K3vfA[/embed]
The purists may sniff at this upstart , but the fact remains that this is a much healthier alternative to its richer predecessor. And it doesn't compromise on the potatoes and onions, an integral part of any self-respecting chowder.
4. Chicken Corn Chowder:
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBL5VrOn5-E[/embed]
This one's for the meat-lovers. I know, I know, it looks and sounds suspiciously like sweet corn chicken soup, but this one is different, trust me. For one thing, it has potatoes, that old staple. And it doesn't have egg stirred into it. And it uses bacon. There, we've managed to spot the differences.
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