Well, my upcoming stint as a judge for the 64th Annual Pismo Beach Clam Festival’s Chowder Tasting has certainly got me thinking ‘bout chowdah!

There’s no doubt that clam chowder is certainly an iconic part of America’s culinary history. Case in point: a 15 cent order of Ipswich clam chowder appears on a 1826 menu from the Atwood & Bacon Oyster House, the precursor to the venerable Union Oyster House which picked up the chowder bowl and is still running with it to this day. (In fact, it’s the oldest continuously operating restaurant in America and the place where the toothpick was first used, but that’s another story).

Indeed, clam chowder – especially the creamy New England style – seems a requisite item on any menu within a fog horn’s blast of the ocean. Here on the Central Coast of California, that means a lot of chowders, especially in Pismo Beach, and everyone claims to be “world famous,” award winning,” etc. But what makes them thus? What should I be looking for as a Chowdah Judge?

For starters, I turned to my go-to cookbook, my well-worn 1975 edition of Joy of Cooking, and it certainly gave me a good chuckle. Right after the very detailed, almost half page recipe for Manhattan Clam Chowder is the entry for New England Clam Chowder, which starts out with the phrase “Most New Englanders consider the above recipe an illegitimate child.” Well, enough said!

Next, I figured I’d get the opinions of a couple colleagues who definitely know their way around a chowder recipe.

Lori Foster, a Boston area native and owner of Spice of Life (a spices, herbs and tea company based in Paso Robles), noted that “There are so many variations of chowders and it's fun to experiment on creating your own. The things to keep in mind with chowders are: whether it’s a creamy or clear broth, onion, celery and potatoes are a must in most recipes; and using the best ingredients (i.e. quality spices and fresh – local if possible – ingredients) will make chowders mouthwatering and a ‘repeat’ in your home.”

Currently a Cape Cod resident, David Ricketts wears a lot of food hats: foodie, food editor and food writer, including the books Home Cooking Around the World (one of my favorite cookbooks!) and Eat to Beat Prostate Cancer. When asked about what makes the perfect chowder, he replied, “that’s like asking a coastal New Englander, what makes the perfect lobster roll . . .  oh my goodness, there is no such thing as a perfect anything.”

Hhhhhmmmm. This contest judging gig could be interesting.

“Towns in Massachusetts are run by town meetings,” he added, “so everyone has a chance to speak their mind, voicing their own opinion. It’s the same when it comes to chowdah . . .  and remember, when we say chowdah, there are different kinds, such as clam, quahog, seafood, lobster, etc., but the elements in each are the same: liquidity, ingredients, and seasoning.

“The ‘liquidity’ of a chowder can range from brothy with lots of brininess, to a so-thick-a-spoon-can-stand-in-it with heavy cream as the finish,” Ricketts explained. “For seasoning, it can be either traditional or fusion: salt, black pepper, cayenne, hot-pepper sauce, thyme, rosemary, oregano, fennel, cumin, curry, cardamom, nutmeg, Vietnamese fish sauce, and on and on.

“As to ingredients,” he continued, “other than the seafood, they can include: corn, potatoes (with or without skin), tomato (considered heresy by some), celery, fresh fennel, carrot, onion,   scallion, garlic, and maybe green bean. Then there is the question of chunky or more finely chopped. Decisions, decisions,  . . .”

I’ll say! The one decision I’ve made is that I’m glad I’m going to be on the judging side of this contest. I do know what I like in a chowdah, but I’m not going to spill the clams in advance. ;~)

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Other Chowdah Bites ...

“To-ma-ytoe” or “To-mah-toe” – just don’t get it near my chowder! Wikipedia notes that “Adding tomatoes to clam chowder was shunned, to the point that a 1939 bill making tomatoes in clam chowder illegal was introduced in the Maine legislature.”

The “Chowder” pages at the What’s Cooking America website offer a cornucopia of chowdah-related info. You’ll not only see an extensive timeline of chowder’s history, but also uncover a raft of cocktail party trivia, such as “Chowder has its roots in the Latin word calderia, which originally meant a place for warming things, and later came to mean cooking pot. The word calderia also gave us cauldron, and in French became chaudiere. It is also thought to come from the old English word jowter (a fish peddler).”

Though there is such a beast as a Pismo Clam, it probably won't find its way into the gallons and gallons of chowder being served up along the coast. "Practically Edible" defines them as "... rare Pacific clams. They can only legally be caught when they are over 4 1/2 inches wide (11cm), which they reach when they are about 5 years old. They can grow up to 7 inches (18 cm.) They are tender and sweet and considered a delicacy, and priced accordingly.

And yes, that IS a giant clam welcoming you to Pismo Beach!