Kosher Deli

Kosher Deli

Kosher delis often sell products such as cured meats, cheese, cold cuts, picked vegetables, dips, breads, salads and sandwiches. Larger delis will also sell wines and specialty items. Of course, Orthodox Judaism dictates that meat and milk may not be consumed together, so a Kosher restaurant or deli will not sell both prepared together. Most kosher delis sell meat products, but there are some that sell cheese, and there are also many that are most like supermarket style delis that sell cheese and meat separately.

Where to find kosher delis

For a great search engine for a kosher deli any place click here.

The following is a list of some large delis in major metropolitan areas:

2nd Avenue Deli

Ben's Kosher Delicatessen in New York City,

Kosher Nosh in New Jersey

Pico Kosher Deli in Los Angeles.

Ben's Kosher Delicatessen in Florida

Some kosher restaurants that are deli-style include the:

Delancy Street Glatt Kosher Delicatessen and Restaurant in Stonybrook, NY,

Epstein's Kosher Delicatessen and Restaurant in Yonkers, NY

Imperial Market and Deli Restaurant in Phoenix, Arizona.

These kosher restaurants are known for their outstanding service and delicious food.

A Typical Kosher Deli Menu

Other typical menu items you'll find in delis besides pickles could be chicken or tuna salad, mushroom blintzes, avocado salads, soups, barbecue chicken, salmon, veal and caviar, as well as desserts such as cookies and cakes. Most delis also have a sandwich menu.

Kosher meats and chicken must be slaughtered in a certain way to be considered kosher. In Orthodox Judaism, the halach, or Jewish law, is to for the shochet, the trained ritual slaughterer, to use a very sharp knife to to sever the esophagus, trachea, jugular vein and carotid artery in one swift motion. If one wants to know what is kosher chicken, one must look look at the kosher certification on the package. The employees of any deli will be able to tell you what is kosher chicken, and what certification they find acceptable. Often, the kashrut information is near the entrance of the kosher restaurants or delis.

An Easy Pickle Recipe

A classic kosher pickle recipe that's really easy to do is to:

Take one gallon of pickling cucumbers

Two bunches of dill

Two bulbs of garlic

Spices such as allspice, cloves and mustard seeds

and five to six tablespoons of salt.

First, soak the cucumbers in cold water. Peel the garlic and put the cucumbers, garlic dill and spices into a jar, adding a small sprinkling of salt between the layers.

The next step in this kosher pickle recipe is to make a brine consisting of three tablespoons of salt and one quart of water. Mix the two together until the salt is dissolved and then pour the brine into the jar to cover everything that's in there. Allow this to sit and ferment for about a week. This sour kosher pickle recipe is made in the traditional way and is full of healthful probiotics.

The History of the Deli

The word delicatessen comes from the German word delicatessen, and it means fine foods or delicacies. The foods that are typically found in delis have been popular in Germany and other European countries for centuries.

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