From crusty slabs of natural sourdough to warming bowls of tonkotsu ramen and heirloom varieties of fruit you might not be able to pronounce, there’s no shortage of evidence that San Francisco has rightfully earned its title of world-class food destination. This didn’t happen by accident. Situated on traditional, un-ceded Ohlone land, the raw beauty of San Francisco’s surroundings and a real shot at economic opportunity have drawn diverse diasporas to the City by the Bay for two centuries. And each has left a delectable mark.
Chinese railroad laborers and miners established the country’s oldest Chinatown, morphing Cantonese dishes into Anglicized shrimp in lobster sauce and chop suey. Italian fishermen in North Beach favored a Genovese specialty: Ligurian focaccia. African-American naval-shipyard workers never forgot their Southern roots and love of barbecue while living in Butchertown (present-day Bayview). And, while the cultural significance of the Mission burrito cannot be underestimated, regional treats such as huaraches, mole, and sauce-soaked tortas are a nod to the steady flow of Mexican migration, from braceros to revolutionaries.
