Hangtown fry

Hangtown fry combines eggs, oysters and bacon and is associated with Placerville, California, formerly called Hangtown. The city’s account places it in the setting of the Gold Rush but acknowledges several competing stories about its origin. Its best-known tale describes a newly wealthy prospector ordering an expensive meal of all three ingredients; this is an origin story rather than a documented recipe invention.^[1]

The city preserves a preparation from the Blue Bell Cafe, where the dish was served from the late 1930s into the 1970s. Oysters are dipped in egg and crumbs and pan-fried, while bacon cooks separately. They are then enclosed in a folded omelette. Other versions add onion, bell pepper or different seasonings to the same basic combination.^[1]