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Of all the most cherished traditions of our culinary landscape, surely the Jewish delicatessen ranks very near the top. It is a uniquely American concept and yet like everything else in this country — from hamburgers to sushi bars — it is a result of the immigrants who came here seeking a better life. In this case, it was the Eastern European Jews who migrated here in the nineteenth century and amassed on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, bringing with them the recipes and traditions of their former lives, foods that adhered to their kosher dietary laws. Some of these immigrants combined their rich culinary heritage with their experience as shopkeepers and the delicatessen was born, a storefront where one could get all the necessities of the table, from pickles, salads, and dark breads to smoked fish and cold cuts. Cured meats were a staple, with beef supplanting the pork that was prevalent throughout many parts of Europe. According to the Oxford American Dictionary, the word delicatessen, originally denoting the sale of prepared foods, comes from either the German delicatessen or the Dutch delicatessen, both of which derive from the French word delicatessen, or “delicateness.” Delicate indeed, for many of the specialties of the modern delicatessen involve great finesses of the raw materials, the flavorings, and the intricate process by which they are created.

Where’s the Beef?
Two of the stars of the delicatessen — pastrami and corned beef — are examples of cured meats that were doubtless based on versions that would have been made with pork in other parts of Europe such as Italy or Germany. These two beloved deli meats are very similar in regards to the methods used to make them, although the final results are quite different. Of the two, corned beef is probably much older, with one source dating the term to the 17th century. According to the Oxford Companion to Food, it is listed in a cheery little book called Anatomy of Melancholy by Robert Burton, who goes on to say that the term “corned” was originally used for pork as well as beef. This is true for many meat applications where the method that we associate with a particular meat today was originally used on whatever meat was available. The term “corned” refers to grains of salt used in the initial curing process. Salt, of course, was used extensively on meat of all kinds in the days before refrigeration, and back in the seventeenth century the salt grains would have likely been rather large, like corn.

For most of us in the United States, we associate corned beef with two things: as the chief component of a classic Rueben sandwich; and combined with cooked cabbage as a traditional Irish dinner, especially on St. Patrick’s Day, typically combined with green beer and shamrocks. Indeed, corned beef has always been closely identified with Ireland where it is a traditional favorite for major holidays like Christmas, Easter, and on the aforementioned St. Patty’s Day. In fact, another source cites mention of corned beef as far back as the eleventh century.

Corned beef comes from the brisket of a cow which is sprinkled with salt and then left to marinate in a brine bath for several days. The meat is then cooked low and slow in moist heat with a variety of spices that typically include onions, bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns, allspice, and garlic. Corned beef has a very mild but satisfying flavor and pairs well with mustard or the Thousand Island dressing used in a Rueben.

Pastrami is a much leaner meat, usually made from the plate or the leanest part of the brisket. Before salting, spicing, and curing, it is also trimmed of most of the excess fat. Pastrami uses more spices than corned beef and is usually a more piquant meat. It is rubbed with a dry mixture of salt and spices, dry-cured for a period of time (sometimes a week or more), and then almost always smoked. The word, pastrami, and the meat itself is a relatively recent addition to our shores. In fact, the word didn’t appear in print until the mid-1930s and is probably a descendant of a wind-dried beef that was made in Romania or Armenia. Indeed, the word likely derives from pastrami, an Armenian word for the beef. These antecedents were likely not cooked at all but simply cured in the penetrating winds of the Balkans. The pastrami that has become popular in Jewish delis in America is not as spicy — though spicier than corned beef — and is steamed or braised after its initial curing and smoking.

Great debates ensue on the subject of the best pastrami sandwich as to the consistency of the meat, what kind of mustard, the bread, and so on. It is probably safe to assert that the following rules should be adhered to when constructing a proper pastrami-on-rye sandwich. First, as with a Rueben, make sure to use the best quality rye bread you can find, either pre-sliced or purchased in a whole loaf. If it is too soft, toast it before using to toughen it up a little bit. Slice the pastrami thin and pile it high. At Saul’s Deli in Berkeley, California, they have a good system. They sell the pastrami by the ounce and will pile it on until the customer tells them to stop. Anyway, a good rule of thumb is to pile on at least two inches of meat. The meat should always be warmed up first so the fat is not congealed. Use good quality specialty mustard, the spicier the better. Always accompany the sandwich with a dill pickle on the side.

Although both of these meats have ancestry back in Europe — and corned beef is still very popular in Ireland and in the U.K. — we have come to think of them as American delicacies and they have truly entered the lexicon of American English. Like many of the finest cured meats, pastrami and corned beef were born from the necessity to preserve fresh meat. We should all be very grateful that refrigeration wasn’t invented until the twentieth century or we would be without many of our most loved foods. If you think these meats and the accompanying recipes are a bit old-fashioned, try making them again with the finest quality meat, bread, and condiments you have available. If you are planning on making them in your store, try making your own corned beef and pastrami, or look for a producer that holds itself to very high standards. Be sure to post your recipes and display the ingredients nearby. Both meats pair very well with micro-brewed beers or crisp white wines. Help rescue the Rueben and the pastrami sandwich from obscurity and usher them into the new millennium. Your customers will be glad you did.

RECIPES
Corned Beef Hash
For an old-fashioned style of meat, I turned to an old-fashioned recipe, this one adapted from Esquire’s Handbook for Hosts (Grosset & Dunlap, 1953), a charming guide for the man who wishes to entertain on a sophisticated level. Considering that it’s over 50 years old, many of the recipes are surprisingly contemporary and this one for an American classic is as good as ever.

Simply mix two parts chopped corned beef with one part chopped boiled potatoes and some chopped onion thrown in for good measure. Season the mixture with salt (judiciously, depending on the saltiness of the corned beef) and freshly ground pepper. Cook the mixture in a cast iron skillet with butter until nicely browned, and roll it out like you would with an omelet. Serve each portion with a poached or fried egg on top.

Rueben Sandwich
The trick to serving a good Rueben sandwich, besides the quality of the pastrami of course is in the bread. Sliced rye bread is the classic choice, but make sure to choose bread that will hold up to the juiciness of the meat and the dressing. You don’t want your sandwich to fall apart before or during the meal. Many people make this dressing by simply mixing together ketchup, mayonnaise, and pickle relish, or they use bottled dressing, either of which is fine but a little bland. I’ve adapted this one from the same book as above. After all, this is also an old-fashioned sandwich, and it is so easy to make that a little extra effort with the dressing is worth it. Also, this version is a bit spicier and less sweet.

For the Thousand Island dressing, mix together your favorite hot sauce (about 2 tablespoons, depending on the desired heat), a cup of mayonnaise, and a half teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce. Add to this a combined cup of chopped chives and either dill pickles or for an extra kick, mild chiles.

You will also need good rye bread, thinly sliced pastrami, a few slices of Emmental cheese, and good quality sauerkraut. Assemble the sandwich as fat or as thin as you like, with first the pastrami, then a slice or two of the cheese, and finally the dressing. Grill the sandwich on a griddle or in a cast iron skillet in butter as you would a grilled cheese sandwich. Serve immediately.