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Jewish Delicatessens: Not Your Local Side Store

The best delis have an adjoining bakery that sells authentic bagels, bialys, cookies, and muffins, along with take-out and salads. Some of the veterans like the Stage Deli and Carnegie Deli have gone the way of the dinosaurs (go figure), but some still thrive, especially in New York, Chicago, and of course Miami. We are not talking about sandwiches or side shops here, we are talking about authentic delis where you would swear Grandma was making matzo balls in the kitchen. Here’s what you can expect to find if you venture into a good one:

Lox and bagels or bialys, with or without a splash of cream cheese (if these don’t serve you, you went the wrong way and you’re on Subway)

A comforting bowl of matzo ball soup – a light dumpling made with matzo flour in chicken broth, or kreplach, a heavier meat-filled dumpling

Borekas – stuffed cakes made from a thin filo puff pastry and filled with spinach, cheese or sometimes meat (also a Greek dish)

Kugel – popular baked noodle dish, can be sweet or savory

Shashuka – spicy dish of poached eggs in a sauce of tomatoes, chili peppers and onions, often seasoned with cumin

Potato latkes – your basic potato pancakes, served with applesauce and sour cream

Breast and pastrami sandwiches – best served hot over Jewish rye with lots of mustard, coleslaw on the side

Blintzes – usually filled with fruit and served with sour cream, similar to a crepe

Potato knishes – a heavier ball of dough, usually filled with potatoes and onions

Ruben sandwich – Classic grilled sandwich with corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese and thousand island dressing (you can go “lighter” with turkey) delicious

Potato salad and coleslaw: the perfect side, creamy and hearty

Matzo breh – chunks of matzo lightly sautéed in butter and scrambled with eggs, the perfect breakfast

Chocolate Egg Cream – a tall drink with a splash of milk, flavored syrup and sparkling water (no egg or cream)

Chopped liver – usually a dish with a mound of chopped liver, accompanied by sliced ​​onions, tomatoes, chopped egg and served with rye bread

Kosher dill pickles – the best, say no more

Mustard brown – the spicier the better (forget about that yellow thing)

Stuffed fish – Not everyone’s favorite, but a traditional white fish and part of a traditional holiday meal, served cold.

Matzo – Flat and tasteless popular cookie, which is part of a traditional Jewish Passover meal

Kasha – buckwheat semolina, quite tasteless but very traditional (great source of fiber)

Babka – coffee cake

Braiding loaves pull, a traditional sweet bread that usually contains raisins, similar to a brioche

Sufganiyot – a jelly donut

Rugelah – a rolled sweet dough cookie filled with raisins and walnuts

Many Jewish dishes, of course, have a similar version in neighboring countries like Poland, the Mediterranean countries, and Russia, and many are part of a traditional holiday meal like Passover. But what has become the classic deli, with its mile-high sandwiches, matzo ball soup and minced liver, is unique in its own right. The waiters are rude and in a hurry, the portions are generous, and the customers are hungry. What’s not to like?

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