Pastrami on rye
Pastrami on rye is a classic sandwich made famous in the Jewish kosher delicatessens of New York City. It was first created in 1888 by Sussman Volk, who served it at his deli on Delancey Street in New York City.
![]() A pastrami sandwich from Katz's Delicatessen | |
Type | Sandwich |
---|---|
Place of origin | United States |
Region or state | New York City, New York |
Main ingredients | pastrami, rye bread, spicy brown mustard |
History
![](../I/Pastrami_sandwich.jpg.webp)
Sussman Volk immigrated from Lithuania in the late 1800s. He opened a small butcher shop on New York's Lower East Side. He befriended another immigrant, this one from Romania, whom he allowed to store meat in his large icebox. In exchange for his kindness, the friend gave the recipe for pastrami to Volk, who began to serve it to his customers. It proved so popular that in 1888, Volk opened a delicatessen at 88 Delancey Street, one of the first delis in New York City, where he served the meat on rye bread.[1]
It became a favorite at other delis, served on rye bread and topped with spicy brown mustard.[2] Delis in New York City, like Katz's Delicatessen, have become known for their pastrami on rye sandwiches.[3][4] In her description of the book on Katz's,[5] Florence Fabricant, the noted food critic for the New York Times, described the volume "as overstuffed as Katz's pastrami on rye."[6]
The pastrami on rye sandwich has come to be a symbol of the classic New York Jewish deli,[7][8][9][10] being featured in delis around the world attempting to recreate the ambience of the original New York delis, in cities such as Los Angeles,[7] Buenos Aires,[11] Boca Raton, Florida,[12] and San Diego, California.[13] The classic, which some consider to be New York's signature sandwich, consists simply of sliced pastrami, placed on rye bread, and topped with spicy brown mustard.[14] It is usually accompanied by a Kosher dill pickle on the side.[15]
Notable delis and restaurants
- Canter's – Fairfax District, Los Angeles[16]
- Carnegie Deli – Midtown Manhattan[17]
- Dunn's – Montreal, Quebec[18][19]
- Katz's Delicatessen – Lower East Side, Manhattan
- Langer's Deli – Westlake, Los Angeles[20]
- Second Avenue Deli – Murray Hill, Manhattan
- Schwartz's – Montreal, Quebec[19]
Variations
Corned beef and pastrami on rye may be prepared using rye bread, pastrami, corned beef, cole slaw, and Russian dressing. Preparation involves placing both meats on a slice of rye bread and topping it with coleslaw. Russian dressing may be added to the top slice of bread.[21]
Pastrami, lettuce, and tomato (PLT) may be prepared using two slices of toasted sourdough bread, mayonnaise, pastrami, lettuce, tomato slices. Preparation involves placing the pastrami on a toasted slice of sourdough bread and topping it with the lettuce and tomato slices. Mayonnaise may be spread on the second slice of sourdough, and placed on top of the sandwich.[22]
See also
- American Jewish cuisine
- Beef on weck
- List of American sandwiches
- List of sandwiches
- Montreal-style smoked meat
- Reuben sandwich
- Roast beef sandwich
- Sailor sandwich, which also combines pastrami and rye bread
References
- Moscow, Henry (1995). The Book of New York Firsts. Syracuse University Press. p. 123. ISBN 0815603088. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
pastrami sandwich origin.
- Marks, Gil (2010). Encyclopedia of Jewish Food. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0544186316. Archived from the original on September 27, 2013. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- Weissmann, Jordan (October 27, 2014). "The Ur-Deli". Slate. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- "NYC Jewish Delicatessens: The Ultimate Guide". New York Eater. December 22, 2015. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- Dell, Jake; Richman, Adam (2013). Katz's: Autobiography of a Delicatessen. Bauer & Dean Publishers. ISBN 978-0983863267. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
- Fabricant, Florence (September 10, 2013). "Laotian Banh Mi, Surprising Cupcakes and More". New York Times.
- "Not just pastrami on rye". Ynet News. January 31, 2013. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
- Sax, D. (2011). Save the Deli: In Search of Perfect Pastrami, Crusty Rye, and the Heart of Jewish Delicatessen. McClelland & Stewart. p. 45. ISBN 978-1-55199-583-0.
- Zukin, Nick; Zusman, Michael (2013). The Artisan Jewish Deli at Home. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. ix. ISBN 978-1449441326. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- Merwin, Ted (January 17, 2016). "A pastrami-on-rye goodbye: The sad death of once pervasive Jewish deli culture". New York Daily News. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
- Sax, David (2011). Save the Deli. McClelland & Stewart. p. 191. ISBN 978-1551995830. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- Sentenac, Hannah (June 22, 2015). "Atlas Meat Free Deli's Rachel on Rye Is a Vegan Pastrami Dream". Broward Palm Beach New Times. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
- Anderson, Ian (April 28, 2015). "What's in a name? Pastrami on rye". San Diego Reader. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
- Dunn, Deborah (January 8, 2016). "Pastrami on Rye: The 6 Best Places to Eat New York's Signature Sandwich". Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
- Taylor, Tracey (March 11, 2016). "Saul's Deli is for sale, but there's no need to panic". Berkeleyside. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016. Retrieved March 26, 2016.
- Austin, Tom (March 1, 2005). "On rye, no mayo: Jordan Mozer's update of Canter's deli, a Tinseltown landmark, is a hidden gem at Treasure Island.(fireworks)". Interior Design. Archived from the original on April 18, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2016 – via HighBeam Research.
- Levine, Harry G. "pastrami land, the jewish deli in new york city" (PDF). QC Pages. p. 69. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 26, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- Buxton, Bonnie; Guernsey, Betty (November 1, 1974). "The Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich". The Montreal Gazette. p. 39.
- The two Montreal locations in this list serve Montreal-style smoked meat, though, which is usually considered a different specialty. Bonem, Max (June 15, 2017). "The Differences Between Corned Beef, Pastrami and Montreal Smoked Meat". Food and Wine. Retrieved February 8, 2021.
- Ephron, Nora (August 19, 2002). "A Sandwich". The New Yorker. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- "Sandwich Report Card: Corned Beef and Pastrami". Travel Channel. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
- "P.L.T. (Pastrami, Lettuce & Tomato)". Nations Best Authentic New York Deli. Archived from the original on March 26, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2016.
Further reading
- Merwin, Ted (2015). Pastrami on Rye: An Overstuffed History of the Jewish Deli. NYU Press. ISBN 978-0814760314. Retrieved March 25, 2016.