You think egg prices are high now? How about $38 each? Or, well, death?

Believe it or not, that’s the jumping off point for some fascinating history linking some nearby islands and a dish that’s a true San Francisco classic: the Hangtown Fry.

Egg starved

During the Gold Rush, thousands of people inundated the newly-booming city of San Francisco. Unfortunately, while many of them remembered to bring shovels and picks, very few thought to bring…chickens.

As a result the cost of a chicken egg in the city skyrocketed to the astronomical sum of $1 each (which, adjusted for inflation, comes to about $38 in today’s money).

People wanted eggs and were willing to pay big money to get them, which led to a novel solution. According to rumor or legend, in 1849, pharmacist ‘Doc’ Robinson and his brother sailed out to the one place nearby which was absolutely teeming with the little white treasures: the Farallon Islands.

Egg shopping at the Devil’s Teeth

The Farallons — also known locally as the Devil’s Teeth for the way they rise like fangs from the horizon — are a rocky archipelago about 30 miles west of San Francisco, a breeding and feeding ground for seals, sea lions, whales, great white sharks, and importantly, birds. Literally hundreds of thousands of birds nest and breed on these remote, rocky outcroppings. While the islands host twelve distinct species, the Robinson brothers had their eyes on one in particular: the common murre.

The murre egg has a thick shell, making it ideal for transportation across the turbulent ocean waters (anyone who’s gone deep-sea fishing from San Francisco laughs at the idea that this ocean is “pacific”). Even better for the Robinsons, the murre egg is twice the size of a typical chicken egg. That said, the egg’s appearance left at least one author underwhelmed.

I shall not soon forget the first platter that the lighthouse keeper’s wife set down before us: eggs double the size of an ordinary egg, the whites, though thoroughly fried, still transparent and the yolks of a fiery orange colour, almost red.

Romantic California, Ernest C. Peixotto

But egg-hungry San Franciscans overlooked this minor quibble, as well as the apparently disgusting taste if the egg aged too long.

After the Robinsons earned an astonishing $3,000 ($114,000) on a single trip, the Farallons became overrun with “legitimate” egg businesses and poachers, all vying for access to the pricey delicacy. The competition grew so fierce that boats were hijacked, guns brandished, and, in 1863, two men died in open shooting over egg collection rights in what became known as the San Francisco Egg War.

The Hangtown Fry

So what does any of this have to do with the Hangtown Fry? And just what is a Hangtown Fry anyway?

The story — or more accurately stories — behind the Hangtown Fry go back to those high egg prices. According to one version of the legend, a gold prospector struck it rich. Another version tells of a man condemned to death (thus the name “Hangtown” which is an old name for the nearby city of Placerville).

Either way, the lucky/condemned man wanted a celebratory/last meal, and requested “the most expensive dish possible.” At that time, bacon had to be shipped in from the East Coast, oysters had to be kept chilled while being transported from Tomales Bay…and of course there were the fabulously expensive eggs.

Thus was born a classic Gold Rush dish — a bacon and oyster omelette — later made famous by Tadich Grill, which still serves the dish today. One can also find variations of the Hangtown Fry — more or less true to the original — at other restaurants around town.

Try the Fry!

When you come to the City, forget the clam chowder and go for something truly local and original!

Here are some restaurants serving the Hangtown Fry.

• Tadich Grill
• Brenda’s French Soul Food
• Sam’s Grill and Tavern
• Wayfare Tavern
• Wooden Spoon
• Just For You

---

I’m a writer and tour guide in San Francisco. You can book tours with me here (ask for Marcus).

If you find this post interesting, please consider subscribing to my blog. I write about San Francisco, about writing, and about my upcoming novel.