The US delicatessen
The delicatessen as found in the cities of the United States (and occasionally
Canada) emphasizes take-out food. It is a boon to the contemporary city dweller
with a distaste for chain fast food joints but without time for a sit-down or
home-cooked meal. It is meant to be a one-stop in-and-out dining venue for later
day meals.
A delicatessen is something between a fast-food restaurant and a grocery store.
It offers a much wider and fresher menu than chain fast food restaurants, never
employing fry machines and always making sandwiches to order.
A grocery store or supermarket may make its own deli food, or even have a deli
within it. Like a market, a delicatessen may also offer a selection of shelved
food, often of the type that is not likely to be kept for more than a day.
Produce, when present, is limited in quantity—and often freshness.
Delicatessens vary greatly in size, but are typically not as large as grocery
stores. In areas with high rents for retail space, delicatessens are often quite
small.
Product base
Every good delicatessen has a solid sandwich menu, all of which are made to
order behind the counter. Most have a wide selection of various sandwiches,
ranging from clubs to hero, hot to cold, from sandwiches to wraps. The pastrami
sandwich is sometimes considered the ultimate criterion of quality in a
delicatessen.
Delicatessens often sell their meats by weight, as cold cuts, and prepare party
trays.
In addition to made-to-order sandwiches, nearly all delicatessens offer
made-to-order green salads. Equally essential is a selection of pre-made—often
in house—pasta, potato, chicken, tuna, shrimp, and other variety of "wet"
salads, displayed underneath the counter and bought by weight. Pre-cooked
chicken, shrimp, or eggplant products, possibly fried or parmigiana style are
found frequently, though they do not constitute the mainstay of a delicatessen.
More Sandwich Recipe Books
In order to provide an opportunity for a complete meal, delicatessens also offer
a wide variety of beverages, usually pre-packaged soft drinks, coffee, teas,
milk, etc. Chips and similar products are available in some variety, though they
rarely rival the selection of small package cookies and snack foods; some
pre-packaged, others store-made and cellophane wrapped.
Alongside these primarily lunch and dinner products, a delicatessen might also
offer a number of additional items geared toward the breakfast eater, including
baked goods (breakfast pastries, bagels, toast), yogurt, and warm, egg
"breakfast sandwiches". Newspapers and small food items such as candy and mints
are also usually available for purchase.
Most delicatessens are run by a regular staff; getting to know them will
probably improve your service.
Urban affiliation
The North American delicatessen is skewed towards cities, particularly older
cities that are less car-oriented, thus favoring walk-in traffic. The residents
of New York City have a particularly close connection to their delis, and many
delicatessens outside of New York call themselves "New York Delicatessen," to
evoke the emotional appeal of the traditional New York City delicatessen. The source of this article is
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this
article is licensed under the
GFDL
