Pastrami lovers across the country look forward to their favorite sandwich on January 14th as they recognize National Hot Pastrami Sandwich Day.
So what IS Pastrami, anyway? A popular delicatessen meat, pastrami is usually made from beef, while others make their pastrami sandwich with pork, mutton or turkey. In the days before refrigeration (yes, there were days before we had refrigerators) – remember ice boxes? Those were literally boxes with blocks of ice for cooling, and that’s why old-fashioned cellars were often built underground or in caves, where the earth could help with the cooling process, but we digress – butchers originally created pastrami as a way to preserve meat. To make pastrami, they placed the raw meat in brine. Then they partially dried it and seasoned it with various herbs and spices to be smoked and steamed.
Looking into the history of pastrami in America, a wave of Romanian Jewish immigration introduced pastrami (pronounced pastróme), a Romanian specialty, in the second half of the 19th century. Early English references used the spelling “pastrama” before the modified “pastrami” spelling was used. New York kosher butcher, Sussman Volk earns credit for producing the first pastrami sandwich in 1887. He claimed to have gotten the recipe from a Romanian friend in exchange for storing his luggage. Due to the popularity of his sandwich, Volk converted his butcher shop into a restaurant to sell pastrami sandwiches.
Pastrami becomes a “pastrami sandwich” when your local deli slices the pastrami and places it between two slices of rye bread. Sometimes, the “classic” New York deli sandwich (pastrami on rye) is served with coleslaw and Russian dressing.When pastrami and coleslaw combine, it’s called a Rachel sandwich, similar to a Reuben, which is made with corned beef and sauerkraut. But out on the other coast, Los Angelenos started to serve the classic pastrami sandwich with hot pastrami right out of the steamer. They slice it very thin and wet from the brine then layered on double-baked Jewish-style rye bread, and it is traditionally accompanied by yellow mustard and pickles.
So, what’s the best way to celebrate this sandwich classic in a foodie way? Why, serve up your favorite pastrami sandwich, of course! Try this Hot Pastrami Sandwich recipe from food.com. Or, help out your local Deli, struggling right now during the days of Covid, by ordering a Pastrami sandwich to go! And don’t forget: use #HotPastramiSandwichDay to post on social media.
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