What is the difference between soups and chowders?

Answer 1

Soup is broth based, beef, chicken, turkey.. Plus, vegetables, or noodles or rice.....it remains a thin liquid when they are served, if you thicken soup it often is called Stew,
Chowder is a fish/seafood based creamy semi thick, (consistancy of gravy but is a cream sauce),with Potatoes, seafood/fish, onions, corn, celery,all or part of these ingredients are usually found in Chowder.
The dictionary actually defines chowder as a thick creamy seafood soup.

Answer 2

Strangely enough my wife and I (Scotland based) were just wondering this last night.
Chowder is a term that does seem to be particularly north American but we have never quite understood what it means.
Most reasonings given here so far seem to be on the chowders are thick or creamy/thickened with potato whilst soups are thin.
Two soups springing to mind here are Scotch Broth and Cullen Skink. Both, if made properly, are so thick you can virtually stand your spoon up in them... as are so many others. Cullen Skink is thickened with both potato and cream whilst Scotch Broth is a thick meat, barley and veg soup.... but both are undeniably soups over here. If these soups were made over in the USA would they be considered chowders? And if so where does a hearty cream of chicken soup stand?
Hope this question gets a resolution that will explain it... but is certainly worth a star.

Answer 3

Soup just is. It is soup.
Chowder is just a name, given to a variety of a type of soup. Chowders tend to be more substantial and contain bigger pieces of ingredients. They have a tendency to be thicker either due to the presence of a thickener (potato or starch) or cream.
Most people would say that soup is thin. This is just not true. Look at split pea soup for example. That soup tends to be very thick and very thick and chunky. Bean soup can have a thin broth or it can be very thick similar to split pea.
Therefore, there really is no difference between the two except in the name.

Answer 4

Chowder is more like creamy and soup isnt. Also chowder is thicker then soup

Answer 5

Chowders are thick and hearty, always.

Soups can be thin and brothy, or thick and hearty, eitehr one.

Chowders would be a sub-group of the general catergory Soups.

Answer 6

Well, I always thought that soups were thinner and chowders were thicker. Could it be that simple?.

Answer 7

choders are thicker and hardier ...and have half and half or whipping cream in them...a soup is just made with a stock

Answer 8

chowdah is betta