Clam chowder is a dish with deep roots in the Northeastern United States, and its popularity has led to several regional variations. The most common version is a creamy, white soup, but another style features a reddish hue. Understanding the composition of this red version clarifies the differences in flavor, texture, and history that define the various types of chowder.
Manhattan Clam Chowder
The red clam chowder is known as Manhattan Clam Chowder. Its characteristic red color comes from the inclusion of a tomato or vegetable broth base, which is the defining ingredient of this style.
Unlike other chowders, the Manhattan version contains no milk, cream, or dairy products. This results in a lighter, thinner consistency, making it more akin to a vegetable soup than a traditional thick chowder. The core ingredients include clams, potatoes, and a variety of vegetables such as onions, celery, and sometimes carrots.
The tomato base provides a bright, acidic, and slightly sweet flavor profile that contrasts sharply with the richness of a cream-based chowder. Herbs like thyme are often used to season the broth, adding an aromatic complexity to the overall taste. This combination of ingredients creates a hearty, yet brothy, soup that allows the briny flavor of the clams to remain prominent.
Key Differences from New England Chowder
The difference between Manhattan Clam Chowder and New England Clam Chowder lies in the liquid base. Manhattan chowder uses a tomato-based broth, giving it the red color and a thinner, more fluid consistency. New England chowder is made with milk or heavy cream, resulting in a thick, opaque, creamy white soup.
The texture is a key difference, as the New England style is often thickened with a roux or flour, giving it a rich, velvety mouthfeel. Manhattan chowder, lacking dairy and thickening agents, is lighter and more brothy. This difference in viscosity means the Manhattan version is often perceived as a vegetable soup with clams, while the New England version is a true, heavy chowder.
Manhattan chowder typically incorporates a wider array of vegetables, such as carrots, celery, and sometimes green bell peppers. New England chowder focuses more heavily on potatoes, onions, and salt pork or bacon, with the cream serving as the dominant flavor carrier. Waxy varieties like red or fingerling potatoes are often preferred in the Manhattan style because they maintain their shape better during simmering in the acidic broth.
Origin and History
The origins of Manhattan Clam Chowder are often traced not to New York City, but to the Portuguese fishing communities of Rhode Island. These communities were known for their traditional tomato-based stews and frequently traveled to New York’s Fulton Fish Market in the mid-1800s. The inclusion of tomatoes was likely influenced by the culinary traditions of Italian and Portuguese immigrants.
The name “Manhattan Clam Chowder” was attested in print by 1934, though the tomato-based dish itself had been around for decades, sometimes referred to as Fulton Market Clam Chowder. This tomato inclusion sparked a long-standing culinary debate, with New Englanders often expressing disdain for the red version.
In 1939, a Maine legislator proposed a bill that would have made the use of tomatoes in clam chowder illegal. This historical resistance underscores the deep cultural divide between the creamy, traditional New England style and the bright, acidic, tomato-based Manhattan style.