The stuffed quahog is part of Rhode Island's latest campaign to draw in new visitors. But what exactly is a stuffie?
Massachusetts is known
for its seafood. More specifically, clam chowder, fried clams, and oysters, and
the food is just one of the reasons why millions of visitors come to the Bay
State every year.
But what about the
rest of New England? Like, Rhode Island, for example? Also known for its
seafood scene, a food that might come to mind is calamari, the state appetizer
that’s tossed with hot peppers.
Instead of
capitalizing on that dish’s reputation, the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation
is using a food in its recent campaign that is uniquely Rhode Island.
The “stuffie.”
In an attempt to draw
in visitors to Rhode Island, the agency responsible for statewide economic
development created a campaign starring a whopping 200-pound version of the
stuffed quahog. It’s made of styrofoam, and it sits on a large plate next to an
8-foot-tall bottle of hot sauce. The agency had two of them made by local company
Lance Industries.
The stuffie, which is
making its way around parts of the country that offer flights to and from
Providence, has been subject to some online criticism by the agency’s strongest
detractors — Rhode Islanders themselves.
“We have a great culinary
scene and having a giant baby pooh on a clam is not going to bring in more
tourists,” one commenter said below a Boston Globe article.
When it comes to looks
alone, these oven-baked clams aren’t the most attractive plate of food, though
Stephen Bucolo, president of Anthony’s Seafood in Middletown, thinks they make
up for it in taste.
His business, which
includes a restaurant, a seafood market, and wholesale, sells plenty of
stuffies (though they sell a lot more of their calamari appetizer). Often
they’re asked to explain what a stuffie is.
“Outside of Rhode
Island, very few people know what they are,” he said. “When they ask, we say
stuffed quahog, and then they ask what a quahog is.”
Anika Kimble-Huntley,
the chief marketing officer of the Rhode Island Commerce, said that’s part of
the point of the campaign. They want people in their target markets — Los
Angeles, Detroit, Atlanta, and Baltimore — to ask about the stuffie. And they
are, she added.
“I think it’s great
that people are talking about it,” Kimble-Huntley said. “We want people to talk
about it. That’s really what the goal is, to create buzz and to raise awareness
of the unique cuisine in Rhode Island.”
Kimble-Huntley said
they have ambassadors on site to explain the beloved stuffie to passersby and
to pump them up about a potential Rhode Island trip. There’s also a video
screen next to the stuffie that shows people how they’re made, from clamming to
cooking.
So, what is a stuffie?
Outside of the
boundaries of the country’s smallest state, stuffed quahogs really aren’t a
widely-known (or eaten) food. They show up on some menus in southeastern
Massachusetts, mostly near waters where quahogs are found (like Buzzards Bay),
which is the clam used when making a “stuffie.”
But quahogs are found
in abundance in Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island. Shellfish culture is
important in Rhode Island, its industry worth hundreds of millions, and
recreationally people enjoy clamming.
They also, obviously,
really enjoy eating the catches.
Bucolo sells nearly
600 stuffies a week during peak summer season, he said. It helps that his
stuffies were advertised on “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives;” it also doesn’t
hurt that not many people serve them.
But when they are on
the menu, they’re usually always a different take on the stuffie.
“The reason it’s so
beloved here is that every family makes it their own way,” Kimble-Huntley said.
Aside from the
quahogs, the recipes usually call for peppers, onions, the Portuguese sausage
chourico, a breading, and reserved clam juice. You can opt for a different kind
of sausage — or not use one at all, and people use various breadings to put in
their stuffie dish, like sourdough, Portuguese sweet bread, bread crumbs, or
croutons.
Bucolo, who uses his
grandmother’s recipe, puts the latter in his stuffies.
After the clams are
steamed, chopped, and mixed in with the other ingredients, you bake it all
together. Many serve it with hot sauce drizzled on top, but you can also use
melted butter in the same way.
Bucolo said the dish
is really popular during the summer months, an appetizer of choice for a
football game watch party, and it pairs well with an ice-cold beer.
Now back to this giant
stuffie. There is actually a chance for some Bay Staters to view the stuffie
(or, as one Reddit user called it, a “creature from Star Trek”) in person at
this year’s Big E in West Springfield.
Kimble-Huntley said
the stuffie will be stationed in front of the Rhode Island Building.
The second stuffie is
currently being driven around Michigan and Ohio, attempting to entice residents
there to visit Rhode Island via Detroit’s airport.
The stuffie will
eventually journey to Los Angeles, where it will join another Rhode
Island-specific installation of a Newport mansion, as well as Atlanta and
Baltimore.