New York City's globally acclaimed corned beef sandwiches are a testament to the Old World food preservation techniques of immigrants who resided in the Lower East Side during the 19th century. What emerged from their struggle was a culinary masterpiece, as grand, audacious, and ambitious as the dreams of the immigrants who built this boundless nation.
The Jewish delis of New York City, including Katz’s Delicatessen, Second Avenue Deli, and Sarge’s Delicatessen and Diner, among others, have become pop-culture icons and must-visit destinations for food enthusiasts worldwide seeking an authentic taste of America.
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"The delis we know today originated here on the Lower East Side when Jewish immigrants arrived in the late 1800s," Jake Dell, the fifth-generation owner of Katz's Deli, shared with Fox News Digital.
European Jews found themselves in a unique global melting pot, living alongside Catholics from Ireland and Poland, Protestants from Germany, and a diverse array of cultures from around the globe. Much like their Irish neighbors, impoverished Jewish refugees utilized the most affordable scraps from America's beef industry, notably the tough-cut brisket, and preserved the meat in salt and various pickling spices in the era before refrigeration.
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Contrary to its name, corned beef contains no corn. The term instead refers to the large kernels of rock salt traditionally used in the brining process. Pastrami, a close relative of corned beef, is similarly cured but from navel cuts of beef and then smoked. It’s typically darker than corned beef and recognizable by its black-pepper crust.
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The corned beef sandwich has now become an American culinary delicacy and a signature taste of the Big Apple, cherished by New Yorkers from all walks of life.
New York City’s Jewish delis saw a surge in popularity following the Holocaust, according to historian Marilyn Kushner. "A lot of times when survivors came here after World War II, they would gravitate toward the delis because that's where they found community," Kushner told Delish.com in a 2022 interview. "Delis became a home away from home if people didn't want to go to shul or the synagogue." Jews could "find friends and sometimes even employment" at the local deli.
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The popularity of delis has fluctuated over the years. The world-renowned Carnegie Deli in Times Square closed in 2016. Second Avenue Deli closed its celebrated East Village location in 2006 and reopened in 2007 on First Avenue on the Upper East Side, retaining its original name. Reuben's Restaurant and Delicatessen, the reported namesake of the sandwich, closed in the 1980s after decades of popularity.
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Katz’s achieved global fame from one of the most iconic scenes in Hollywood history in the 1989 hit movie "When Harry Met Sally." Co-stars Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal were dining at Katz’s when "Sally" loudly feigned heightened pleasure in the packed restaurant. "I’ll have what she’s having," an older female diner — played by Estelle Reiner, mother of director Rob Reiner and wife of comedian, actor, and entertainer Carl Reiner — famously deadpanned after the salacious spectacle. A sign hangs over the table today celebrating its role in silver-screen history.
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Dell, the owner of Katz's, asserts that fame has not altered the essence of the New York deli experience. "We focus on three things and always first is the food quality," said Dell. "It doesn't matter who you are or what your history is if your food sucks." Katz's, he added, continues to patiently cure its own corned beef in house, while nostalgia and tradition are essential to the experience, too.
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"This place is a time capsule and this food is a time capsule. We embrace that and we love it." Each sandwich is hand-carved right in front of the customers who enjoy a fresh-cut sample of their meat selection while waiting. Katz's clings to its archaic deli-counter ticket-and-pay system as part of the experience, despite more efficient modern check-out methods. A World War II-era sign still declares "Send a salami to your boy in the army."
"This place is a time capsule and this food is a time capsule. We embrace that and we love it. Katz's has that atmosphere where it's a fun place with lots of energy and still has tradition."
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