what is the difference between a stew and chowder
A stew is a soup with chunks of meat and vegetables that have stewed (cooked in water or broth) for a long time. Chowder really only refers to a chunky cream based fish and potato soup....New Yorkers will protest this definition in defense of the tomato based Manhatten chowder. Also, try wikipedia.com for any definition type questions. Hope this helps! Source(s): Long-time cook and restauranteur.