The very first Jewish deli opened in 1888 in New York when Jewish immigrants settled in New York and Philadelphia after the Civil War. For over 100 years, Jewish delis have served delicious offerings to fans of deli sandwiches like corned beef and pastrami in particular, but they have kept with the times and evolved their menu to have very diverse offerings in recent decades and appeal to a wide audience of people who appreciate the cultural traditions.
Jewish delis are now an integral part of American cuisine. However, there are specific facts about Jewish delis that people are unaware of.
Here are some of them:
Facts about Jewish Delis
1. The Meaning of Delicatessen
Delicatessen was a word used for food that was imported from abroad to France and Germany. Seemingly, delis originated in France and then moved to Germany. Despite the change of country, the purpose of these delicatessens did not change, except for the capitalization of “k” in the middle of the word. It was later Americanized with “c.”
The word delicatessen stems from a Latin word that means alluring. It was befitting for the foreign food they served in France and Germany as they were delicacies.
2. Immigrant Jews Brought Jewish Delis to America
Despite their European history, Jewish delis are famous as part of the American gastronomic landscape. Since the German Jews moved to the United States in the 1800s, they started selling their preserved food to survive in the new country.
German immigrants were not only Jews. There were many non-Jews among them. So, the offered food was more of a Jewish, non-Jewish mix, including sausages, salads, preserved fish, pickled and smoked meat, etc. The Jewish preserved food was made of goose meat, and the non-Jewish one used pork products.
Despite the difference in the meat and taste, Americans loved these stores, and truly, they were the first Jewish delis in the United States—long before the next wave arrived in the 1880s.
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Why Are Jewish Delis Disappearing?
3. The Jews of the Lower East Side
The next wave of Jewish immigrants settled in New York between 1880 and 1920. They are the ones who established the legacy of Jewish delis in America. During the four years, two million Jews moved to the United States and brought their recipes for preserved meats.
These Jews did not purchase food from the German Jews, as they primarily ate at home and bought meat from local kosher butchers. Most of them were peddlers too, and they would sell their products on the Lower East Side using pushcarts.
When pushcarts were no longer allowed because of the NYC officials, they turned their permanent stores, which we now know as Jewish delis.
4. It Wasn’t Always Beef
Beef pastrami and corned beef are now the staples of Jewish delis, but that wasn’t the case when the first Jewish delis started selling salty meat offerings. In the 1800s, the Jewish were selling goose meat at their delis, but the turn of the 20th century established that it was no longer famous in New York City.
The people switched to beef and recreated their recipes from goose to beef. Jews used to consume beef on Shabbat only, but the new land evolved its ways, and it became a daily food staple.
5. Katz’s Delicatessen Has Been Around for Over a Century
Not many original Jewish delis have survived the ups and downs of the American economy, but Katz’s Delicatessen is one of them!
It opened in 1888, but some historians claim that the deli was not officially open until 1910. The place at which Katz’s Delicatessen is located right now belonged to Morris and Hyman Iceland, two brothers who started a restaurant there.
Willy Katz came to America in 1903 and joined the Iceland brothers in their business. A few other Jewish delis opened in the late 1800s and early 1900s, but most are now out of business. Katz’s, however, remains a staple in the Jewish deli business!
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6. New York Has the Best Jewish Delis in the United States
Katz’s Delicatessen might be the pioneer in the deli business, but many names have carried on the legacy. Liebman’s Delicatessen from the Bronx is one of them. The deli opened in 1953 and still serves traditional Ashkenazi dishes, such as Hungarian goulash and stuffed cabbage.
Frankel’s is another popular name with everything from eggs and corned beef to pastrami-cured salmon on the menu. Other New York delis you’d like to visit are Langer’s Delicatessen Restaurant, Sarge’s, and Pastrami Queen.
7. From Salty Meat to Delicious Deli Meat Sandwiches
The switch from selling simple salty meat with bread to stacking corned beef, pastrami, and turkey club for a triple-decker did not take long. The boom of Jewish delis started in the 20th century, right after World War I.
Around 1930, the second-generation Jewish immigrants moved from the Lower East Side to Queens and Brooklyn. They took the legacy of delis with them and stayed connected to their old roots. By the time 1931 came around, New York had 2,000 delis!
These delis evolved from selling strictly kosher meat to overstuffed sandwiches that continue to rule the Jewish delis in New York and some other cities of America.
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8. The Boom Did Not Last Long: The Decline of Jewish Delis
The second generation of Jewish immigrants made the delis a popular family business, but the third generation did not help much. Except for a few families who continue to pass down their deli business, most of the delis died out. Save the Deli and Pastrami on Rye are two famous books that explain how the boom of American Jewish delis ended.
There were a few reasons for the decline of Jewish delis, including religion, the holocaust, changing tastes, and operating costs. Some Jews became more secular and refused to accept the kosher status of the remaining kosher delis. The holocaust left no new wave of Jewish immigrants to find their way to America. And the changing economy and introduction of various foreign cuisines made it difficult for Jewish delis to survive.
9. Efforts to Revive Jewish Delis
Despite the decline of Jewish delis, people love the overstuffed sandwiches and have made efforts to bring the delis back. For the past few decades, modern delis have been trying to revive the old traditional Jewish delis. These delis include Pastrami Queen, Upper East Side, and Frankel’s, Brooklyn.
For now, a handful of delis in New York City and a few scattered across the nation. However, Jewish delis are not about to disappear anytime soon. They are undergoing a modernization process.
How Katz’s Became the Most Legendary Deli in NYC | Legendary Eats
Katz’s Delicatessen has been a New York institution since 1888. Producer Spencer Alben visits to taste the legendary pastrami on rye and sits down with Jake Dell, the owner currently in charge of all major operations, to learn how Katz’s survived the ages and became one of the most famous delis in the world.
Summary
Jewish delis have been a staple of American culture for over a century. Generations of Jewish immigrants have put effort into establishing a legacy of delicious meat offerings. From corned beef to pastrami, there is a variety of overstuffed sandwiches offered at delis today. Regardless of the ups and downs of the Jewish delis in the United States, people continue to frequent them and eat deli sandwiches.
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Image Credit:
“Katz’s Deli 9” by afagen is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
My name is Jay and I started this website to share my love of Deli Food. I am Jewish with Italian ancestry and grandparents who emigrated to the US from Poland, Russia and Turkey. This website is my celebration of the delicious flavors of international deli culture. Please feel free to send me your suggestions and feedback through the contact form.
