Clearly savored since the 1700’s, Rhode Island’s traditional chowder has clear broth--- really the murky gray color of Narragansett Bay on a cloudy day.

Considerably less popular than “Manhattan” which has tomato broth, and “New England’s” milk or cream-based broth, native Rhode Island purists stake their clams that clear broth “chowdah” is the true Rhody stew.

A clammy subject simmered in controversy, clam chowder starts in the pot with stock ingredients of fresh quahogs (large hard-shelled clams), clam juice and diced potatoes. Sliced onions, bay leaves or parsley, salt and pepper are added for flavor.

One controversy heats over whether one should chop, mince, or grind the quahogs. Still another, is whether the source of fat should be salt pork or bacon. By far, a tempest in the boiling pot brews over one’s allegiance to the red, white, or clear.

RED chowder: aka “New York clam chowder” in the 1890s, and “Manhattan clam chowder” in the early 1900s by those in Maine. It was historically shunned in 1939 when Maine introduced legislation making the practice of adding tomatoes to chowder illegal. The tradition of red chowder may have originated with Portuguese immigrants in Rhode Island, as tomato-based stews were already a traditional part of Portuguese cuisine. Red chowder was the only version served for decades inside the shore dinner halls on the grounds of now defunct amusement parks, Rocky Point and Crescent Park.

WHITE chowder: aka “New England clam chowder,” is a cream-based version which has been around since the mid-18th century.

CLEAR chowder, by no other name, can be credited for harboring the flavors of every ingredient in its clear broth rather than tainting them with tomatoes or drowning them in cream.

Many restaurants in northern Rhode Island tend to sell both red and white chowders, while those on Block Island and along the southern coast favor clear and white chowders.

A cup or bowl of “chowdah” is traditionally served with Crown Pilot soda crackers or clam cakes for a hearty cheap eat during any season.

George’s of Galilee, 250 Sand Hill Cove Rd., Narragansett, an Ocean State institution established in 1948, has earned the reputation of Award Winning RI Seafood Restaurant and No. 1 Restaurant in Southern RI. Road scholars in casual attire can chow down from a small bowl of clear chowder for $6.99 and order a half-dozen clam cakes for only $5.99.

Though you may want to stay clear of Rhode Islanders engaged in a heated discussion over The Boston Red Sox vs. The New York Yankees, or what constitutes the tastiest “chowdah,” before you head for the hills, try our clear brew.