Clam chowder is the perfect comfort meal on a chilly day, and there are two different versions popular in the USA: New England and Manhattan. The main difference between these two regional chowders is that one uses a base of cream, while the other uses tomatoes, but there are a few other key differences as well.

Originating in the 1600s, New England clam chowder has a base of cream or milk thickened with a roux, plus salt pork, onion, celery, potatoes, clams. The thickness of the broth can vary anywhere between the consistency of wallpaper paste and bisque, the soup is often topped off with crackers or garlicky croutons.

Meanwhile, Manhattan clam chowder’s status as a chowder is hotly debated, and it's very much shunned by New Englanders as "just a vegetable soup," but it is objectively delicious. The thin red broth is made with tomatoes or tomato paste, plus onion, garlic, celery, carrots, potatoes, and savory bits of bacon and clam.