Bookbinder's soup, also known as snapper soup, is a type of seafood

soup Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot – though it is sometimes served chilled – made by cooking or otherwise combining meat or vegetables with Stock (food), stock, milk, or water. According to ''The Oxford Compan ...

originating in the United States at

Old Original Bookbinder's Old Original Bookbinder's was a seafood restaurant at 125 Walnut Street in Philadelphia. It was known for its lobsters and its Bookbinder's soup. The restaurant was decorated with bas-reliefs of U.S. Presidents on its stained-glass façade a ...

restaurant in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. The original soup is a variety of

turtle soup Turtle soup, also known as terrapin soup, is a soup or stew made from the meat of turtles. Several versions of the soup exist in different cultures, and it is often viewed as a delicacy. Culinary description The principal characteristic of tu ...

made with typical stew vegetables such as tomatoes, carrots, celery, bell peppers, onions, leeks, mushrooms, and garlic. It is commonly made with

common snapping turtle The common snapping turtle (''Chelydra serpentina'') is a species of large freshwater turtle in the Family (biology), family Chelydridae. Its natural range extends from southeastern Canada, southwest to the edge of the Rocky Mountains, as far eas ...

meat. The soup spread to other places, such as the Drake Hotel in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, where the turtle meat was replaced with red snapper, a fish chosen likely because of the similarity of the name. The ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...

'' published a version of the recipe given to them by the executive chef at the Drake. The name "Bookbinder" comes from Samuel Bookbinder, a

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

immigrant from the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

who opened Old Original Bookbinder's in 1893. Its alternative name originally referred to the use of common snapping turtle meat in its preparation. Old Original Bookbinder's lists the soup as "snapper soup" on their menu, but the Bookbinder name is often used in other places.

References

{{reflist American soups Cuisine of Philadelphia Turtle dishes