Culture: Chowda – The Best Soup in New England

Chowda-- Best New England Soup
Chowda– Best New England Soup

After a red-eye flight from the West Coast, we arrived in Nantucket on a foggy May morning. The weather felt like very late Winter for us Californians, although to someone from New England, it must of been rather pleasant. My luggage had not arrived with me… we were tired, weary and in desperate need of some good comfort food. What we needed was a nice big bowl of chowda!

New England Clam Chowder is one of those dishes you must order when in any of the Northeastern states. It’s a tradition. When my steamy, creamy, thick bowl of soup arrived– I could see why. This was not just any soup… it was a meal. Topped with oyster crackers, I was set.

Yankee Magazine names it one of the Best Winter Soup’s in New England and there are many sources that claim this was one of John F. Kennedy’s favorite dishes! (Note: JFK had a slight variance to of using fish instead of clams.)

With so many recipes online, it’s hard to narrow down, but here’s a few if you want to try it yourself:

 

And for you history buffs– if you’d like to know the origin, here’s a good read, History of Chowder from What’s Cooking America. So when in New England, be sure to order yourself a bowl of chowda… or if it’s cold and grey outside, whip up a recipe and enjoy!

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