About Pike Place Chowder

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ORIGIN OF CHOWDER
A simple dish of chowder, in the past considered to be "poor man's food" has a history that is centuries old. In this country it was brought first to the New England fishing camps and eventually found its way around the continent to the Pacific Northwest. It was brought here by the same people who cooked-up this hearty dish in the first place-the fisherman. In fact, it can be said, that chowder most likely originated at sea. Today chowder has moved from the coastal regions where the recipes are generally of fish or shellfish to inland areas where farming families serve-up their chowder using a variety of vegetables, corn and poultry or other combinations. Chef, Jasper White says in his book, 50 Chowders, 'the essence of chowder is making something great out of what is immediately available." Chowder is more than a soup and bears a closer resemblance to stew. In every case chowder is a hearty dish rich in flavor.

The origin of chowder dates back to the early 1700's. There are early European references made in the Cornwall region of Southwestern England and in the Brittany region of northwestern France. It is interesting to note these two regions are located across the English Channel from one another. The fisherman who worked in these waters would place a large pot or caldron (chaudiere in French) over a hot fire to cook all day. They made stock with milk (if available) or a broth with water (if not too tainted) and added salt pork, vegetables and fish as they became available. On board the fishing boats they would add "hardtack" (a hearty bread) to the stock to help thicken it. After a hard day of work the pot of "jowter" (Eng.) or "chaudiere" (Fr.) became the meal of the day.

These same fishermen-chefs who fished the waters off the English Channel brought their recipes with them as they began to settle in the fishing villages of our New England coastline. They came here to fish for haddock and cod. By the middle of the 1800's chowder was a mainstay throughout the northeastern United States and had quickly become an All-American dish. Clams and shellfish began to be used in chowder because of their relative ease to accumulate--having to simply dig them up from the shore. When the country expanded to the Pacific Ocean the fishermen followed. As the fishermen's migration continued from the Atlantic coast the recipes for chowder were introduced along the way. In the northwest the chowders would utilize the bounty of this region--salmon, halibut, cod, clams, geoduck, and more recently mussels to formulate the recipes.

Today chowder enjoys universal appeal. It has been popularized on two continents, survived as a dish for nearly 300 years and has traveled two oceans. The recipes call for ingredients as expensive as lobster and crab, as bountiful as the quahog (ocean clam) or as unique as the geoduck. It is served in nearly every restaurant in the country. And with such a diversity of potential ingredients, chowder competitions have grown all over the country. We had the good fortune to win many of these. In fact our clam chowder may be the only chowder to have won 1st Place on both coasts--having won in Seattle WA. Seaside OR. and more recently in Newport R.I.

We hope you enjoy your chowder today. We are continuously developing new recipes for you to try. If you have any suggestions, please feel free to let us know.

Reference: Jasper White, 50 Chowders; NY, NY: Simon & Schuster