Villorita cyprinoides 004 Black clam miso soup in a Japanese restaurant in Tokyo

Clam soup is a soup prepared using

clam Clam is a common name for several kinds of bivalve mollusc. The word is often applied only to those that are deemed edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the sea floor or riverbeds. Clams h ...

s as a primary ingredient. Clam soup can be prepared as a thin,

broth Broth, also known as bouillon (), is a savory liquid made of water in which meat, fish, or vegetables have been simmered for a short period of time. It can be eaten alone, but it is most commonly used to prepare other dishes, such as soups ...

- or cream/milk-based soup and as a thicker,

chowder Chowder is a thick soup prepared with milk or cream, a roux, and seafood or vegetables. Oyster crackers or saltines may accompany chowders as a side item, and cracker pieces may be dropped atop the dish. Clam chowder from New England ...

-style soup. In Japan, hot

miso soup is a traditional Japan, Japanese soup consisting of miso paste mixed with a ''dashi'' Stock (food), stock. It is commonly served as part of an meal, meaning "one soup, three dishes," a traditional Japanese meal structure that includes rice, sou ...

prepared with clams is believed by some to be a cure for the

hangover A hangover is the experience of various unpleasant physiological and psychological effects usually following the consumption of alcohol (beverage), alcohol, such as wine, beer, and liquor. Hangovers can last for several hours or for more than ...

Overview

Clam soup is prepared using

s as a main ingredient. Additional ingredients can include carrot, celery, onion and other vegetables, vegetable

stock Stocks (also capital stock, or sometimes interchangeably, shares) consist of all the Share (finance), shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided. A single share of the stock means fractional ownership of the corporatio ...

or other types of broths and stocks (such as fish stock) seasonings and spices, salt and pepper. Fresh or canned clams can be used to prepare the dish.

Clam chowder Clam chowder is any of several chowder soups in American cuisine containing clams. In addition to clams, common ingredients include diced potatoes, salt pork, and onions. It is believed that clams were used in chowder because of the relative ...

is a well-known clam soup, but not all clam soups are

s or have the thick consistency that chowders typically possess. In Japan, hot

with clams is a traditional cure for the

. Clams possess high levels of

ornithine Ornithine is a non-proteinogenic α-amino acid that plays a role in the urea cycle. It is not incorporated into proteins during translation. Ornithine is abnormally accumulated in the body in ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency, a disorder of th ...

, an

amino acid Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although over 500 amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the 22 α-amino acids incorporated into proteins. Only these 22 a ...

that some Japanese people believe serves to reduce levels of stress, and "helps improve liver function—including detoxifying harmful substances like alcohol." A canned clam soup product named "Power of 70" claims to cure hangovers.

Varieties

Clam chowder

is a clam soup prepared as a

, typically using a cream base. Several varieties of clam chowder exist. Manhattan clam chowder is a tomato-based soup prepared with vegetables and clams, but lacks cream or milk.

Jaecheop-guk

Jaecheop-guk is a clear Korean soup made with small

freshwater Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. The term excludes seawater and brackish water, but it does include non-salty mi ...

s called ''jaecheop'' (재첩, '' Corbicula leana''). It is a local specialty of the

Gyeongsang Province Gyeongsang Province (; ) was one of the Eight Provinces of Joseon Korea. Gyeongsang was located in southeastern Korea. The provincial capital of Gyeongsang was Daegu. The region was the birthplace of the kingdom of Silla, which unified Korea i ...

where ''jaecheop'' are harvested, such as the lower reaches of

Nakdong River The Nakdong River or Nakdonggang (, ) is the longest river in South Korea, which passes through the major cities of Daegu and Busan. It takes its name from its role as the eastern border of the Gaya confederacy during Three Kingdoms of Korea, Kor ...

, and river basins around

Gimhae Gimhae (, ) is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea, situated near the Nakdong River. It is the seat of the large Gimhae Kim clan, one of the largest Kim (Korean name), Kim clans in Korea, cla ...

, Myeongji, Eumgung, and Hadan counties as well as places near the Suyeong River in

Busan Busan (), officially Busan Metropolitan City, is South Korea's second list of cities in South Korea by population, most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.3 million as of 2024. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economi ...

and the

Seomjin River The Seomjin River () is a river in South Korea. It flows through southeastern North Jeolla Province, eastern South Jeolla Province, and western South Gyeongsang Province province. It flows into the Korea Strait. The Seomjin River originates from ...

. File:Korean clam soup-Jaecheopguk-01.jpg, Jaecheop-guk

Gallery

File:Hamaguri 001.jpg, A simple clam soup File:Korean clam soup with spinach.jpg, Korean clam soup with spinach File:Fresh clam soup.jpg, Fresh clam soup

Overview

Varieties

Clam chowder

Jaecheop-guk

Gallery

See also

References

Further reading