The late nineteenth century saw New York become the melting pot for influences from all over the world as families from different cities started to mix together their cultures. The main influences were from Eastern Europe, Italy and throughout Europe and Delis first started off as shops run by Germans – the word Delicatessen refers to the delights available to eat in the shop.
In a short time it became the byword for the ‘Jewish eating experience’, providing frankfurters, rye bread, bagels, smoked fish, new green cucumber and latka potato salad to the famished masses. London’s Blooms restaurant has its own place in social history, once famous for surly waiters and still renowned for the larger than life size of their matzah balls (that’s the chicken soup we’re talking about, not the waiters).
The quintessential ‘kosher-style’ deli in New York remains the Carnegie, which featured in ‘Broadway Danny Rose’, although Katz’s Deli, where the legendary ‘Where Sally Met Harry’ moment was filmed, is now a me-too destination. In the roll-call of New York delis, the glorious Zabar’s, might come last but certainly not least.
As Woody Allen once said, he only wanted to go to heaven if he could be sure there was a Zabar’s there as well.
