Jewish deli

A Jewish deli, also known as a Jewish delicatessen, is a store that serves various traditional dishes of Jewish cuisine, mostly Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine.^[1] Known for their robust sandwiches, such as pastrami on rye, they also specialize in traditional Jewish diaspora soups and other ethnically rooted dishes. As retail delicatessens, most also sell a selection of their products such as sliced meats by the pound, prepared salads, pickles, and offer dine-in or take-out.

The emergence of the Jewish deli developed in accordance with local culture. Jewish delis differed from their German deli counterparts mostly by being Kosher.^[2] These days, while some delis have full kosher-certification, others operate in a kosher-style, refraining from mixing meat and dairy in the same dish. Other Jewish delis serve non-kosher animal products such as bacon or shell-fish and non-kosher dishes such as the Reuben sandwich.^[3]

Jewish delis feature prominently in Jewish culture, as well as in general American popular culture, particularly in the cities of New York, Chicago and Los Angeles as well as in Canada, especially in Montreal and Toronto. The United Kingdom has also historically been a home to many Jewish delis, especially in the London area.^{[4][5][6][7][8]}

The origins of the American Jewish delicatessen can be traced to the wave of German immigration to the United States in the mid-1800s. In the decade spanning from 1850 to 1860 nearly one million Germans immigrated to America, both Jews and non-Jews, with 215,000 Germans arriving in the United States in 1854 alone.^[9] Some of these immigrants opened storefronts to make a living, and to offer culturally familiar food to other immigrants. Many of the original establishments were inspired by German delikatessens, selling beef frankfurters, sauerkraut, cold cuts, dill pickles and liverwurst.^[10]

According to American author and professor Ted Merwin, the deli experienced its most significant growth not during the initial wave of immigration, as commonly assumed, but rather during the interwar period of the 1920s and 1930s. It was during this time that the offspring of Jewish immigrants began to mark their achievements in America by frequenting delis in the theater district, where they indulged in sandwiches and cheesecake. It was the kosher deli that trailed the Jewish community as it dispersed into the city's outer boroughs, serving as a tangible emblem of its members enduring commitment to their cultural heritage.^[11]

After the Holocaust, a new Jewish population within the United States would facilitate the reintroduction of these community staples. While upon their arrival many of the post-war Jewish immigrants would work in the meat industry, some business owners would transform their butcher shops into operational delicatessens, something that many modern Americans are likely to be familiar with.^[12]

As Jewish delis rose in popularity in New York, they became a bridge between second-generation Jewish immigrants and their origins. They served as a cultural gathering place for the community. Merwin suggests that the Jewish deli became a secular equivalent of the synagogue for a generation of Jews who were no longer as interested in attending religious services.^[13] The second generation's increased access to deli meats was a sign of growing success, something their parents would not have been able to afford when first arriving to the United States.^[12]

From their roots as an extension of kosher butcher shops, delis often have a long counter and glass cases showing the meats and takeaway food offerings. Delis expanded to have tables and chairs, that being at the center of a case before the New York Supreme Court in 1910 questioning if this made a deli a restaurant. The ruling was that it did not, and that delicatessens come in all shapes and offerings without narrowing them to the definition of a restaurant.^[14]

As more Jewish delis opened, there started to be an increase in "Kosher-style" delicatessens, expanding the offerings to strike a balance of the familiar of the cultural foods and the new American tastes and society; some delis going as far as offering the non-kosher foods on separate silverware and on separate dishes.^[15] Some "kosher-style" delis would serve Jewish food, but the meat would not be kosher. These delis helped appeal to both Jewish and non-Jewish Patrons for a variety of reasons, including those not wanting to be seen in Kosher establishments, and keeping costs down on product.^[16]

Since their height in the 1930s, Jewish delis are on the decline. In New York (where there was the highest concentration of delis) there was an estimated 3,000 Jewish Delis,^[17] and as of 2021 in the same area there are less than 30. ^[18] This decline is presumed because the cost of running a deli yields increasingly lower returns, it is a labor-intensive job, and immigrant Jewish food being on the decline in cultural popularity. ^[18] While on the decline, the Jewish deli is not dying out entirely as successful delis have opened in the past 15 years, well outside of previous heights in popularity. ^[19][20]

Food portions at Jewish Delis are known for being huge,^[21] and the menus are extensive, ranging from baked goods, breakfasts, large sandwiches of pickled, smoked, and cured meats, dinner plates, deserts, and more.^[18]

Being Kosher is more than the recipe and must be checked with each diner if they are Kosher or not. Examples of food you may find on a Jewish diner menu include:

• Apple Sauce
• Babka
• Bagels
• Beef Tongue
• Black and White Cookie
• Blintzes
• Borscht
• Brisket
• Challah Bread
• Chicken Noodle Soup
• Chicken Salad Sandwich
• Chopped Liver
• Coffee Cake
• Coleslaw
• Corned Beef
• Corned Beef on Rye^[22]
• Dr. Brown's Soda
• Egg Cream
• Egg Salad Sandwich
• Gefilte Fish
• Herring
• Knishes
• Knoblewurst^[23]
• Kosher Dill Pickle
• Kreplach
• Kugel
• Latkes
• Lox
• Matzo Ball Soup^[24]
• Matzo Brei
• New York Style Cheesecake
• Pastrami on Rye
• Rugelach
• Salami
• Sauerkraut
• Schnitzel
• Seltzer
• Smoked Salmon
• Smoked White Fish
• Split Pea Soup
• Stuffed Cabbage
• Tuna Salad
• Whitefish Salad

As food trends evolve, new foods (kosher and non-kosher alike) have made their way to some Jewish Delis, like plant-based meat substitutes, fusion dishes, and take-home kits.

Jewish delis have been featured in many instances of popular media.

• When Harry Met Sally (Katz Deli)^[25]
• The Marvelous Mrs, Maisel (Stage Deli what they named in the show based on a real (now closed) deli, they filmed in an (also now closed) deli named Arti's Deli^[26])
• Broad City (Zabar's)^[27]
• Mad Men (Canter's)^[28]
• Curb Your Enthusiasm (Mort's Palisades Deli referenced as "Leo's Deli")^[29]
• Adam Sandler The Chanukah Song (Carnegie Deli)^[30]
• Homicide: New York^[31] (Carnegie Deli)^[32]
• Sex and the City (Zabar's)^[33]
• Friends From College (Zabar's)

• List of Jewish delis

• Rachel Simon recalls her family's Kosher Deli Restaurant on Mermaid Avenue - Brooklyn, NY - Interview conducted by the Coney Island History Project