VOTE sourfaux!
Say ‘yes’ in Cambridge Dictionary and Guardian polls.
Cambridge Dictionary is running a poll to help decide if it should include the word sourfaux, first coined by the Real Bread Campaign in 2015.
We define sourfaux as: a product that is named or marketed using the word sourdough but that is made using one or more additives and/or an alternative raising agent (such as baker's yeast or baking powder) in addition to or instead of a live sourdough starter culture.
Having the word listed in the dictionary will help raise awareness of the difference between sourfaux and genuine sourdough, and of the Real Bread Campaign’s work in general.
Vote in the Cambridge Dictionary poll now
(If the poll doesn’t appear next to or below the entry, try a different device or Web browser.)
Update: It seems that searching for sourfaux on the Cambridge Dictionary website is one of the best ways to improve chances of the word being added.
The addition of sourfaux to Collins Dictionary (as proposed in 2018) is still pending investigation.
The Guardian
The word sourfaux also features in The Guardian's headline of the year 2022 poll and it has some stiff competition.
Updates
3 January 2023: The majority of respondents to the Cambridge Dictionary poll (rising to above 62% and settling at over 57%) voted in favour of including sourfaux. We wrote to ask if the word will be added to the Cambridge Corpus, shortlisted for further research or some other consideration process for possible inclusion in the dictionary.
The reply we received was: "We are adding new words to the online Cambridge Dictionary all the time. We use a number of criteria for deciding which words to include, the most important of which involve relevance to our users. The best way for us to know that a word is missing is if you enter it in our search field and do not get a result, as we monitor this information constantly."
Published Tuesday 13 December 2022
Real Bread Campaign: The Real Bread Campaign finds and shares ways to make bread better for us, better for our communities and better for the planet. Whether your interest is local food, community-focussed small enterprises, honest labelling, therapeutic baking, or simply tasty toast, everyone is invited to become a Campaign supporter.
