Bookbinder's soup, also known as snapper soup, is a type of seafood
soup originating in the United States at
Old Original Bookbinder's restaurant in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...
. 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. Differing versions of the soup exist in some cultures and are viewed as a delicacy.
Versions China
In China, and in several countries in Southeast A ...
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 meat. The soup spread to other places, such as the
Drake Hotel in
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, where the turtle meat was replaced with
red snapper
Red snapper is a common name of several fish species. It may refer to:
* Several species from the genus ''Lutjanus'':
** ''Lutjanus campechanus'', Northern red snapper, commonly referred to as red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico and western Atlanti ...
, a fish chosen likely because of the similarity of the name. The ''
Chicago Tribune
The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...
'' 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 ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
immigrant from the
Netherlands
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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