What is a Hangtown Fry?

The Hangtown Fry is an omelet — a controversial one, actually. Though omelets are generally universally loved and perfect for brunch, lunch or a light dinner, one of the most unusual is the Hangtown Fry. It was invented in Placerville, California during the Gold Rush days in the late 1840s. Legend has it that when a gold miner struck it rich, he swaggered into the local saloon, threw some gold on the counter and demanded that the cook make him a dish that was just as rich as he was. The cook told him that the most expensive ingredients he could get his hands on were eggs (from a seagull), oysters and bacon. Quite the interesting combination…

Back before refrigeration, these ingredients were obviously more complicated to procure. The eggs required special packaging and handling. The oysters were also shipped in from the bay and had to be sent on ice. The bacon came all the way from Europe. The cook, not knowing quite what else to do with this assortment of ingredients, scrambled them all together. The resulting dish is still served up in several locations in the San Francisco Bay Area. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can make one at home with the recipe shared below.

A Golden State of Mind

California is known as the Golden State for a lot of reasons, the most obvious being the Gold Rush that took place throughout the Sierra Nevada foothills from 1848-1855. Before 1848, California’s population included only about 1,000 non-indigenous people; the foothill region is the ancestral home of both the Sierra Miwok and Nisenan. Two years later, that number would grow by 100,000, and by the end of the Gold Rush, over 300,000 people had made the trek west.

To be sure, this huge population increase brought its fair share of challenges but also set the stage for California to be one of the biggest, most prosperous and most innovative states. San Francisco went from a small outpost to a bustling metropolis, and a whole economy popped up to house, clothe, feed, transport and sell wares to the multitudes of folks trying to strike it rich. 

Though the Gold Rush officially ended in 1855, many of the people who came out to California decided to stay and put down roots. They left the Gold Country behind, favoring the city or farmland in the Central Valley where they could try to make a living. Eventually, the once-thriving places in the Sierra Foothills became quaint little towns, and some were completely abandoned altogether. What remains today is a patchwork of well-preserved historic districts, quirky ghost towns and a burgeoning wine industry.

Sierra Foothills Wineries

For some, the Sierra Foothills are just something you drive by on your way to skiing, hiking or camping.  But there are wineries all throughout the area as far north as Yuba County and as far south as Mariposa County. Yes, they are a nice place to stop in and check out on your way to Yosemite or Tahoe, but we think they are interesting enough to merit a visit on their own. 

The Sierra Foothills became its own AVA (American Viticultural Area) in 1987, but some of the vines planted in the region date back to the Gold Rush days — miners are rumored to have been a thirsty bunch. Because of its inland location, the days there tend to be warm and dry, with cooler evenings. Heat-loving Zin is the most popular grape planted in the foothills, but it’s a large AVA with elevations ranging from 300 feet near the San Joaquin Valley to 3,000 feet along the eastern edge. Because of this, winegrowers have a variety of exposures to choose from including cooler hillsides for Merlot, Cabernet and Chardonnay. The soil is not particularly fertile and is comprised mostly of shale, decomposed granite and volcanic matter. So the vines tend to be low-yielding, but are definitely capable of making excellent wines.

There are over 100 wineries in the region, many of which you’ve probably never heard of. Of course, that doesn’t mean they’re not making great wine. It’s just that they’re typically small, family-owned operations that don’t produce enough for larger distribution. What does that mean for you? Casual, intimate tastings, often with the winemakers themselves. You’ll find unique, high-quality wines, many of them sustainably grown, that are only available in tasting rooms or to members of their wine clubs. 

It’s a fun area to explore. You’ll find that in addition to great wines, many places also have unique and eclectic shopping and dining, as well as a variety of lodging options from historic inns to quaint B&Bs. Whether you visit Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer or Yuba counties, there’s a veritable motherlode of interesting wines in the Sierra foothills waiting to be prospected, all within easy driving distance of San Francisco and LA. By visiting you’re not only supporting farming families and winemakers, but all of the people who live in the community too.