Soup and chowder are both warm liquid food items that provide a change from regular meals. They can be served as appetizers before the main course in a restaurant or given to sick people to provide strength and protein. However, there are some key differences between the two.
Key Takeaways
- Chowder is a type of soup, making it hard to differentiate, but it is generally thicker and creamier than other soups.
- While soups can be made with a variety of ingredients, chowder traditionally contained seafood as the main ingredient, although variations with meat and vegetables have since been developed.
- The origin of chowder is believed to have French roots, possibly derived from a word referring to pots used by fishermen to prepare stews.
Soup is a hot liquid food item prepared by heating meats or vegetables in water, allowing the ingredients to simmer until their flavors are extracted into the broth. Soups can be divided into two broad categories: clear soups and thick soups. Thick soups are made using thickening agents like flours, rice, grains, and starch.
Chowder, on the other hand, is a thick soup variety that is chunky and typically associated with seafood. It has a creamier texture, often resembling a stew rather than a soup. In recent times, the term “chowder” has come to refer to various types of thick, creamy soups that may not necessarily contain seafood as their main ingredient.
