As of yesterday (Wednesday) we are live with our Corn Chowder at all of the Vinnies! There are so many delicious chowders we will try, but we wanted to sneak in one featuring corn while it’s still in season. As you can tell, we have been ambling around North America to begin our travels (we also have Québécois Split Pea & Ham through Monday). Corn Chowder, like Clam Chowder, hails from New England and the Northern Atlantic Coast and traditionally contained little more than butter, onion, celery, milk, lots of corn, and sometimes potatoes. We have given ours a little Southwestern flair, adding bell peppers and a bright cilantro garnish, because we couldn’t help it, but also because this is how soup recipes have evolved over millennia-through sharing, traveling and tweaking.

Come stamp your passport and try out this week’s offering. And here is a sneak peek at next week’s soups, which will finish up our North American wanderings (for now):

October 16: Philadelphia Pepper Pot (which allegedly kept American Revolutionary War troops alive at Valley Forge)

October 18: Senate White Bean (served at the Senate restaurant since the early 20th century)

The word chowder is believed to derive from the French word for cauldron-chaudron-and was brought to the North Atlantic coast by Breton sailors. Now, you can’t very well mix up a yummy cauldron without a badass spoon to stir it with while you channel the witches in Macbeth…

“Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and caldron bubble…”