Quahog

A native American name for varieties of hard-shell clams found on the East Coast. Quahog is a term that is also used to describe the largest of the hard-shell clams. While the Atlantic Littleneck is the Quahog clam, the Pacific Littleneck is a west coast or Japanese variety of clam and is not referred to as a Quahog. The Atlantic Littleneck or Cherrystone clam as it is also known, are basically the smaller versions of the Quahog clam. When the Quahog matures to its largest size it is commonly referred to as a Chowder clam or Large clam. Chowder clams may be tougher in texture so the slow cooking required for chowders is an effective method to tenderize the meat. Quahog clams may also be referred to as Quahawg clams.