"Cioppino" This is one of California's most famous dishes, and one that we can claim is ours, all ours. It is a versatile dish, as it was invented by fishermen who made it with whatever the ocean was inclined to yield, so of course there are dozens of ideas on how it should be done. Exponents of the various schools of cookery get quite fussed--and fussy--about how to make cioppino. Red or white wine, or sherry? Shrimp and crab, clams, or just a mixture of fish? The best way is as you like it.
Its Origin
Though the word Ciopinno and the dish that is popular in the US definitely was popularized near in the San Franciso area of California, The roots of the dish and name are from Italy. Records of when this dish appeared vary from the Gold Rush days to 1930 says food historians.
The Italian flair of this tomato based seafood stew using the daily catch comes from the fisherman from Genoa that immigranted to the US and settled in the Bay area of California. A fisherman's stew most likely originated ON the boat because in pre 20th century fishing boats they didn't have refrigeration , so they were limited to some canned foods( like tomatoes),vegetables, bread, wine and the catch of the day to make their dinner.
Origin of the Word Cioppino
The name comes either from ciuppin, a word in the Ligurian dialect of the port city of Genoa,meaning "to chop" or "chopped" which described the process of making the stew by chopping up various leftovers of the days catch, but also some say it can be a corruption
of the word" il ciuppin" which means ..little soup.
