SOURDOUGH BREAD

Folklore is the “informally learned, unofficial knowledge about the world, ourselves, our communities, our beliefs, our cultures, and our traditions that is expressed creatively through words, music, customs, actions, behaviors, and materials” (Sims and Stephens 2011, 11). With this definition in mind, sourdough bread is a piece of material culture–something that can be touched, seen, and eaten–that represents the community, the beliefs, and the traditions of miners of the California Gold Rush (Sims and Stephens 2011, 13).