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ChowderChowder is any of a variety of soups, enriched with salt pork fatback and thickened with flour, or more traditionally with crushed ship biscuit or saltine crackers, and milk. To some Americans, it means clam chowder, made with cream or milk in most places, or with tomato as "Manhattan clam chowder." Corn chowder is a thick soup filled with whole corn (maize) kernels. Chowder is often commonly associated with New England cuisine. The most accepted etymology for the word chowder comes from the pot in which it is cooked. The French word chaudière translated means "a pot," developed from chaud, "hot" (also related to the Latin Calderia and English Cauldron). The word "chowder" is a New England word that came from Newfoundland, where Breton fishermen — who would throw portions of the day's catch and other available foods into a large pot — introduced the word, and perhaps the fish soup itself (compare bouillabaisse). Another possible origin for the word Chowder is derived from the Old English "jowter", which means fishmonger (one who peddles fish). The recipe below for "New England chowder" is a fish chowder, which along with corn and clam chowder continues to enjoy popularity in New England. From the 1881 Household Cyclopedia: Four tablespoonfuls of onions, fried with pork; a quart of boiled potatoes well mashed; 1 1/2 pounds of sea biscuit broken; 1 teaspoonful of thyme mixed with one of summer savory: 1/2 bottle of mushroom catsup; one bottle of port or claret; 1/4 of a nutmeg, grated; a few cloves, mace, and allspice; 6 pounds fish (sea-bass or cod), cut into slices; 25 oysters, a little black pepper, and a few slices of lemon. The whole put in a pot and covered with an inch of water, boiled for an hour and gently stirred. as Springfield Meatloaf, in at least one episode of The Simpsons. The pronunciation of the word "chowder" also served as an important plot element in another episode. In the song, c. 1898 by George L. Giefer "Who Threw the Overalls in Mrs. Murphy's Chowder," which survives primarily (slightly corrupted) as a repeated children's chant "Who put the overalls in Mrs. Murphy's chowder?/Nobody answered so we asked a little louder." Lyrics at , , , tune at , 1901 audio recording at . In the slang word "chowderhead." Wentworth and Flexner: "A stupid person; one who uses poor judgement. Since c. 1835." (One of many expressions analogizing a head to a soft, mushy substance). Newport, Rhode Island's Great Chowder Cook-Off, held each year since 1981, is the world's largest and oldest chowder competition. The 2003 event was featured in a Food Network documentary. Wentworth, Harold and Stuart Berg Flexner, 1967, Dictionary of American Slang, Thomas Y. Crowell, NY. ISBN 0690236026 ("Chowderhead" definition, in use since c. 1835). The Ravenous Guide to Chowder Ravenous Recipes: East Coast Chowders Ravenous Recipes: West Coast Chowders Ravenous Recipes: Gourmet Chowders Check out the following recipes that are tagged "Chowder":
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