National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day

Pastrami sandwiches were introduced to New York City in the 1870s by Jewish immigrants from the Eastern European areas of Romania and Bessarabia. In the Old World, pastrami went by many other similar names, like pastirma and pastroma. According to some accounts, it was made from goose there, but when it made the jump to America it was made from beef because beef was more accessible.

Pastrami is a spicy, cured brisket of beef (or of the nearby and fattier navel of beef). The beef is salt-brined, seasoned with spices and herbs, and cured by being smoked. After being smoked it is chilled and steamed. Seasonings commonly consist of ground black pepper, kosher salt, coriander seeds, dark brown sugar, ground cloves, granulated garlic, yellow mustard seeds, and smoked paprika.

Pastrami is often served in sandwiches, and hot pastrami sandwiches are celebrated today with National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day. The creation of the pastrami sandwich is usually credited to New Yorker Sussman Volk in 1887 (or 1888, or maybe not until the late 1890s, according to one researcher's assessment of New York City directories). Volk, a Lithuanian immigrant and kosher butcher whose shop was located at 86 Delancey St., was reputedly given the recipe for pastrami by a Romanian friend in exchange for either storing their meat in his icebox or storing their luggage. It is believed Volk started selling the meat at his butcher shop, with it being served on bread. Then, he took over the shop next door, at 88 Delancey St., and converted it into a delicatessen, one of the first of its kind in New York City, where he continued to sell pastrami sandwiches.

Hot pastrami sandwiches are usually made with rye bread dotted with caraway seeds and often topped with either brown deli mustard or Russian or Thousand Island dressing. Coleslaw is regularly present, either topping the sandwich or served alongside it. Kosher dill pickles are the other most common side of hot pastrami sandwiches. The sandwiches are sometimes also topped with caramelized onions and melted Gruyere or Swiss cheese.

In New York City, where pastrami and rye sandwiches became a staple of Jewish delicatessens, and the sandwich became the signature sandwich of the city, the pastrami is usually sliced thin, but stacked high. Likely the most well-known delicatessen to serve the sandwich today is Katz's. According to some accounts, they opened in 1888, although others say they opened around the turn of the twentieth century.

As the new century dawned, pastrami spread across the United States, and could be found in numerous cities and states, from New Mexico to Georgia to Virginia, and on to New Orleans, Des Moines, and Denver, the meat often being shipped directly from New York City. It was not just the pastrami that went across the country, but the sandwiches, too.

As pastrami sandwiches were sold in other cities, new spins were put on them, with new ingredients added. Italian and soft rolls supplanted rye. The sandwiches were topped with giardiniera, marinara sauce, and mayonnaise. Corned beef sat alongside the pastrami. Kansas-style beef brisket with barbecue sauce replaced the usual pastrami. The PLT, the pastrami, lettuce, and tomato sandwich, came to be, assembled on sourdough bread and topped with mayonnaise. But it is the classic hot pastrami sandwich with pastrami, rye, and mustard that is known best, and it is celebrated today along with the rest, with National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day.

How to Observe National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day

• Have a hot pastrami sandwich at one of the best delicatessens or restaurants that serve them:
  • Zingerman's Delicatessen (Ann Arbor)
  • Attman's Deli (Baltimore)
  • Sam Lagrassa's (Boston)
  • Manny's Cafeteria and Delicatessen (Chicago)
  • Slyman's Restaurant (Cleveland)
  • Kenny's and Ziggy's New York Delicatessen (Houston)
  • Shapiro's Delicatessen (Indianapolis)
  • Canter's (Los Angeles)
  • Langer's Deli (Los Angeles)
  • Kush by Stephens (Miami)
  • Jake's Delicatessen (Milwaukee)
  • Hobby's Delicatessen and Restaurant (Newark)
  • Liebman's (The Bronx, New York City)
  • 2nd Avenue Deli (Manhattan, New York City)
  • Katz's Delicatessen (Manhattan, New York City)
  • Famous Fourth Street Deli (Philadelphia)
  • Perly's Restaurant & Delicatessen (Richmond)
• Make a hot pastrami sandwich at home. Perhaps you could make one similar to those served at Katz's or Langer's.
• Read Pastrami on Rye: An Overstuffed History of the Jewish Deli or Save the Deli: In Search of Perfect Pastrami, Crusty Rye, and the Heart of Jewish Delicatessen.
• Watch a video focusing on pastrami sandwiches such as "Finding the Best Pastrami Sandwich in New York."

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