Bread Fresh from the Oven: Memories of Italian Breadbaking in the California Mother Lode

A chain-migration in the 1860s—1880s brought rural Italian villagers from near Genoa to the southern California Mother Lode. Among other traditions, that of baking bread in outdoor ovens persevered over generations until commercial bread became widely available in the 1930s. An archaeological study of these ovens, begun in 1979, included site excavation, data analysis, detailed measurments, and archival research. Occasional oral interviews also recorded the words, expressions, and feelings of those who remembered the ovens' use, stories that were not addressed by academic research. These stories told by informants may constitute, ultimately, the more valuable record of this historic oven tradition. Excerpts from five stories are presented as examples of this rich source of information.