There Are Actually Three Styles of Clam Chowder but Two Shouldn’t Count

Not everyone likes the same food. That's a given even with the most popular of foods out there. I personally discovered recently I don't really like potato chips anymore. I mean what is wrong with me. Hopefully, that will change again because we're talking potato chips for goodness sakes.

Anyway, when people think of clam chowder, whether you're a fan or not, it's New England style that's everywhere. It's the most popular and in many cases the only one people have ever heard of. However, there are actually three styles of clam chowder so even if I'm not into the other two at all and think that delicious, creamy New England clam chowder with oyster crackers is the only way to go any time of year, you may prefer one of the other styles.

NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER

Obviously this is the most popular as I was just saying. Hearty and creamy, sometimes referred to as Boston clam chowder, it's milk or cream-based with butter, clams, potatoes, and sometimes pork.

MANHATTAN CLAM CHOWDER

You've possibly heard of this red-headed step child of clam chowders. It's by no means the most popular but has a following if you like tomato-based soups. It's often thick like tomato soup because of that base even if there's no cream or milk. Besides clams you'll find peppers, celery, and carrots making it a thick vegetable soup basically with clams.

RHODE ISLAND CLAM CHOWDER

In the heart of New England is a very non-New England clam chowder made with a clear-like broth that you'll probably never find anywhere but in its home state of Rhode Island. According to the Served From Scratch website, it's made with a clear broth sometimes with a hint of tomato as well as clams and potatoes. There are zero vegetables and it doesn't use any cream or milk making the clam flavor stand out the most. Also, there aren't always clam shells in it.

I know I'm being a bit rude by saying Manhattan and Rhode Island clam chowders shouldn't exist and that's simply because creamy is the name of the game for chowders and how I grew up. However, now that I'm finishing this article I'm curious to try the others because it's really not fair that I'm dissing them without trying them.