Traditionally, a delicatessen or deli is a grocery that sells a selection of fine, exotic, or foreign prepared foods. Delicatessens originated in Germany (original: Delikatessen) during the 18th century and spread to the United States in the mid-19th century. European immigrants to the United States, especially Ashkenazi Jews, popularized the delicatessen in U.S. culture beginning in the late 19th century. Today, many large retail stores like supermarkets have deli sections.
Delicatessen is a German loanword which first appeared in English in the late 19th century and is the plural of Delikatesse. [1] The German form was lent from the French délicatesse, which itself was lent from Italian delicatezza, from delicato, of which the root word is the Latin adjective delicatus, meaning "giving pleasure, delightful, pleasing". [1] The first U.S. short version of this word, deli, came into existence probably after World War II with the first evidence being from 1948. [2]
The origin of the delicatessen as a grocery store is lost in time, but the path clearly spread across Western Europe as the term was borrowed by one people and language and culture after another.
The German food company Dallmayr traces its history to 1700, [3] when it became the first store to import to the German population bananas, mangoes, and plums from places such as the Canary Islands and China. Over 300 years later, it remains the largest business of its kind in Europe. [4]
The first delicatessens to appear in the United States were in New York City in the early 1880s, with the first advertised use of this word occurring in early 1884 in St. Louis, Missouri upon the opening of "Sprague's Delicatessen," [5] at first one lunchroom and eventually five popular downtown lunch establishments operating between 1884 and 1906. [6] Early delicatessens in New York catered to the German immigrant population living there. [7] As the German-Jewish population increased in New York City during the mid- to late 1800s, kosher delicatessens began to open; the first was founded in 1889. [7] [8] [9] In the United States, by the late 20th to early 21st centuries, supermarkets, local economy stores, and fast food outlets began using the word (often abbreviated as "deli") to describe sections of their stores. [10] The decline of the deli as an independent retail establishment was most noted in New York City: from a high in the 1930s of about 1,500 Jewish delicatessens, only 15 still existed in 2015. [11]
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In most of Australia, the term "delicatessen" retains its European meaning of high-quality, expensive foods and stores. Large supermarket chains often have a deli department, and independent delicatessens exist throughout the country. Both types of deli offer a variety of cured meats, sausages, pickled vegetables, dips, breads, and olives.[ citation needed ]
In South Australia and Western Australia, "deli" also denotes a small convenience store or milk bar, and some businesses use "deli" as part of their business name. Traditional delicatessens also exist in these states, with "continental delicatessen" sometimes used to indicate the European version.[ citation needed ]
In Canada, both meanings of "delicatessen" are used. Customers of European origin often use the term in a manner consistent with its original German meaning, but as in the United States, a deli can be a combined grocery store and restaurant.[ citation needed ]
In Europe "delicatessen" means high-quality, expensive foods, and stores. In German-speaking countries a common synonym is Feinkost (fine food), and shops that sell it are called Feinkostläden (delicacy stores). Department stores often have a Delikatessenabteilung (delicacy department). European delicatessens include Fauchon in Paris, Dallmayr in Munich, Julius Meinl am Graben in Vienna, Harrods [12] [13] and Fortnum & Mason in London, Peck in Milan, and Jelmoli in Zürich.
Although U.S.-style delicatessens are also found in Europe, they appeal to the luxury market. In Russia, shops and supermarket sections approximating U.S.-style delis are called kulinariya and offer salads and main courses. Delicate meats and cheeses, cold-cut and sliced hot, are sold in a separate section. The Eliseevsky food store in central Moscow, with its fin de siècle decor, is similar to a European delicatessen. From the Tsarist era, it was preserved by the Soviets as an outlet for difficult-to-obtain Russian delicacies. Delicatessens may also provide foods from other countries and cultures that are not readily available in local food stores.[ citation needed ] In Italy, the deli can be called gastronomia , negozio di specialità gastronomiche, bottega alimentare and more recently salumeria . In France it is known as a traiteur or épicerie fine .
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom a delicatessen offered a variety of meats and cheeses. It also has options of various salads. There are delicatessen counters in supermarkets as well as in markets and sandwich shops. Delicatessens will make sandwichs to take away though some have an area where you can sit and eat. Items like potato salad, coleslaw, pease pudding and olives are sold by weight. There is often an area that sells jars of chutneys, jams and sauces. a [14] [15]
In Ireland, a "deli" or "deli counter" is a food counter serving pre-prepared "food to go" like sandwiches and hot snacks. This trend began in the 1990s and led to the emergence of many ready-to-eat deli products. [16] Delis can be found at a wide variety of convenience shops, newsagents, supermarkets, petrol stations, and casual eateries throughout Ireland. [17] [18] [19]
Popular items served at hot deli counters include chicken fillet rolls (breaded chicken fillet on a bread roll), breakfast rolls (Irish breakfast items on a bread roll), jambons, sausage rolls, and potato wedges. [16] [20] [21]
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In the United States, a delicatessen (or deli) can be a simple retail grocery store, a sit-down restaurant, or any combination in between. Sit-down and to-go delis offer a broader, fresher menu than fast-food chains, rarely employing fryers (except for chicken) and routinely preparing sandwiches to order. Delicatessens from a number of cultures can be found in the United States, including Italian, Greek, and Jewish, both kosher and "kosher style". The American equivalent of a European delicatessen may be known as a gourmet food store.
Retail delis in the U.S. sell fresh-sliced cold cuts and cheeses. In addition to made-to-order sandwiches, many American delicatessens offer made-to-order green salads. Prepared pasta, potato, chicken, and tuna salads, or other salads are sometimes displayed under the counter and sold by weight. This is the same as a deli counter in a supermarket in the UK. Precooked chicken, shrimp, or eggplant dishes may also be sold. Some establishments have table seating for patrons to consume sandwiches and other food, while others only sell food to go. Delicatessens offer a variety of beverages, such as pre-packaged or fountain soft drinks, bottled water, coffee, tea, and milk. Potato chips and similar products, newspapers, and small items such as candy and mints are also usually available.
A grocery store (AE), grocery shop (BE) or simply grocery is a retail store that primarily retails a general range of food products, which may be fresh or packaged. In everyday U.S. usage, however, "grocery store" is a synonym for supermarket, and is not used to refer to other types of stores that sell groceries. In the UK, shops that sell food are distinguished as grocers or grocery shops
Pastrami is a type of cured meat originating from Romania usually made from beef brisket. The raw meat is brined, partially dried, seasoned with herbs and spices, then smoked and steamed. Like corned beef, pastrami was originally created as a way to preserve meat before the invention of refrigeration. One of the iconic meats of Eastern European cuisine as well as American Jewish cuisine and New York City cuisine, hot pastrami is typically served at delicatessen restaurants on sandwiches such as the pastrami on rye.
The cuisine of New York City comprises many cuisines belonging to various ethnic groups that have entered the United States through the city. Almost all ethnic cuisines are well represented in New York, both within and outside the various ethnic neighborhoods.
Canter's Deli is a Jewish-style delicatessen, opened in 1931 in Boyle Heights, and later moved to the Fairfax District of Los Angeles, California, near the border of West Hollywood. It has been frequented by many movie stars and celebrities.
Schwartz's, also known as the Schwartz's Deli and the Montreal Hebrew Delicatessen, is a Jewish delicatessen restaurant and take-out, located on Saint-Laurent Boulevard in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It was established in 1928, by Reuben Schwartz, a Jewish immigrant from Romania. Its long popularity and reputation has led to it being considered a cultural institution and landmark in Montreal.
The Second Avenue Deli is a certified-kosher Jewish delicatessen in Manhattan, New York City. It was located in the East Village until December 2007, when it relocated to 162 East 33rd Street in Murray Hill. In August 2011, it opened a second branch at 1442 First Avenue on the Upper East Side. In November 2017, it opened a cocktail lounge called 2nd Floor above its Upper East Side branch.
Kosher style refers to Jewish cuisine—most often that of Ashkenazi Jews—which may or may not actually be kosher. It is a stylistic designation rather than one based on the laws of kashrut. In some U.S. states, the use of this term in advertising is illegal as a misleading term under consumer protection laws.
A kosher restaurant or kosher deli is an establishment that serves food that complies with Jewish dietary laws (kashrut). These businesses, which also include diners, cafés, pizzerias, fast food, and cafeterias, and are frequently in listings together with kosher bakeries, butchers, caterers, and other similar places, differ from kosher-style businesses in that they operate under rabbinical supervision, which requires the observance of the laws of kashrut, as well as certain other Jewish laws, including the separation of meat and dairy.
Kenny & Zuke's Delicatessen was a Jewish delicatessen in Portland, Oregon serving primarily non-kosher foods. The restaurant closed permanently in November 2023.
Onion rolls are a roll of Ashkenazi Jewish origin similar to a bun, that is made of a soft, slightly sweet dough similar to challah, containing dried onions throughout which create its signature flavor. It is often topped with dried onions, and occasionally poppy seeds.
Montreal-style smoked meat, Montreal smoked meat or simply smoked meat in Quebec is a type of kosher-style deli meat product made by salting and curing beef brisket with spices. The brisket is allowed to absorb the flavours over a week. It is then hot smoked to cook through, and finally is steamed to completion. This is a variation on corned beef and is similar to pastrami.
Pastrami on rye is a sandwich comprising sliced pastrami on rye bread, often served with mustard and Kosher dill pickles. It was popularized in the Jewish delicatessens of New York City and has been described as New York's "signature sandwich". It was created in 1888 by the Lithuanian immigrant Sussman Volk, who served it at his deli on Delancey Street in Manhattan.
American Jewish cuisine comprises the food, cooking, and dining customs associated with American Jews. It was heavily influenced by the cuisine of Jewish immigrants who came to the United States from Eastern Europe around the turn of the 20th century. It was further developed in unique ways by the immigrants and their descendants, especially in New York City and other large metropolitan areas of the northeastern U.S.
A Jewish deli, also known as a Jewish delicatessen, is a store that serves various traditional dishes of Jewish cuisine, mostly Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine. 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.
Kornblatt's Delicatessen was a Jewish deli in Portland, Oregon. The business operated from 1991 to March 2023.
Attman's Delicatessen is a Jewish delicatessen in Maryland with branches in Baltimore and Potomac. The deli serves Ashkenazi staples including corned beef, pastrami, brisket, Reuben sandwiches, knishes, latkes, pickles, kugel, and whitefish salad.
A chicken fillet roll, also known as a hot chicken roll or chicken roll, is a baguette filled with a fillet of processed chicken. It is a ubiquitous deli item in Ireland, served at a wide variety of convenience shops, newsagents, supermarkets, petrol stations, fast food restaurants, and casual eateries throughout the country. It has been declared Ireland's favourite deli food. It is often cited as a hangover cure.
Dingfelder's Delicatessen is a restaurant in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, in the U.S. state of Washington.
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