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 molluscs. The word is often applied only to those that are edible and live as infauna, spending most of their lives halfway buried in the sand of the seafloor or riverbeds. Clams have two she ...

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. New England clam chowder is typically ...

-style soup. In Japan, hot

miso soup is a traditional Japanese soup consisting of a dashi stock into which softened miso paste is mixed. In addition, there are many optional ingredients (various vegetables, tofu, ''abura-age'', etc.) that may be added depending on regional and sea ...

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, such as wine, beer, and liquor. Hangovers can last for several hours or for more than 24 hours. Typical sympto ...

Overview

Clam soup is prepared using

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

stock In finance, stock (also capital stock) consists of all the shares by which ownership of a corporation or company is divided.Longman Business English Dictionary: "stock - ''especially AmE'' one of the shares into which ownership of a company ...

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. Other vegetables are not typically used. It is believed that clams were us ...

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 amino acid that plays a role in the urea cycle. Ornithine is abnormally accumulated in the body in ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency. The radical is ornithyl. Role in urea cycle L-Ornithine is one of the produ ...

, an

amino acid Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although hundreds of amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the alpha-amino acids, which comprise proteins. Only 22 alpha am ...

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 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. Other vegetables are not typically used. It is believed that clams were us ...

is a tomato-based soup prepared with vegetables and clams, but lacks cream or milk.

Jaecheop-guk

Jaecheop-guk ''Jaecheop-guk'' () is a clear ''guk'' (soup) made with ''jaecheop'', small freshwater marsh clams native to Korea. The soup is considered a local specialty of Yeongnam and Honam regions, where ''jaecheop'' are harvested in the lower reaches ...

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. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

s called ''jaecheop'' (재첩, ''

Corbicula leana ''Corbicula leana'', known as ''chamjaecheop'' (; "true '' jaecheop''") in Korean and as ''mashijimi'' (; "true '' shijimi''") in Japanese, is a species of freshwater and brackish water clams, distributed in the Korean Peninsula and the Japanese ...

''). It is a local specialty of the

Gyeongsang Province Gyeongsang ( ko, 경상도, ''Gyeongsang-do''; ) was one of the eight provinces of Korea during the Joseon dynasty. Gyeongsang was located in the southeast of Korea. The provincial capital was Daegu. The region was the birthplace of the Kingd ...

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

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

, and river basins around

Gimhae Gimhae () is a city in South Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. It is the seat of the large Gimhae Kim clan, one of the largest Kim clans in Korea. The Gimhae Kims claim descent from the ancient royal house of Geumgwan Gaya, which was based in Gim ...

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

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...

and the

Seomjin River The Seomjingang River is a river in South Korea. It drains southeastern Jeollabuk-do as well as eastern Jeollanam-do and western Gyeongsangnam-do provinces, and flows into the Korea Strait. The Seomjin rises from Palgongsan and flows for 212.3 ...

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

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