| Delicatessen |
Articles about Delicatessen |
Website Links For Delicatessen |
Information AboutDelicatessen |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT DELICATESSEN | |
| jewish delicatessens | |
| jewish cuisine | |
| food retailing | |
|
The word delicatessen designates a type of food store. The word is of German origin, meaning "delicacies," and has different meanings in different countries. A North American delicatessen is often referred to, informally or affectionately, as a ''deli''. In some regions of Australia , the same words are used to mean a General Store or Convenience Store . U.S. 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 Fast Food from a chain store but without time for a sit-down or home-cooked Meal . It is meant to be a one-stop in-and-out dining venue. 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 , rarely employing fry machines and typically making Sandwich es to order. A Grocery Store or Supermarket may make its own deli food, or even have a deli on site. 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. Delicatessens can come from a variety of cultural traditions. Most numerous in the United States is the Jewish delicatessen, either specifically Kosher , or merely " Kosher Style ." There are also Italian delicatessens and German style delicatessens, usually referred to as a "European Delicatessen." Product base Most delicatessen have a solid Sandwich menu, most of which are made to order behind the counter. Most have a wide selection of sandwiches, ranging from Club 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 Meat s by weight, as Cold Cut s, and prepare Party Tray s. 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 , or other variety of "wet" salads, displayed underneath the counter and bought by weight or on a sandwich. 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. In order to provide an opportunity for a complete Meal , delicatessens also offer a wide variety of Beverages , usually pre-packaged Soft Drink s, Coffee , Tea s, Milk , etc. Chips and similar products are available in some variety, though they rarely rival the selection of small package Cookie s and Snack Food s; 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". Newspaper s and small food items such as Candy and Mint s are also usually available for purchase. 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. ''DELIKATESSEN'' IN EUROPE In Germany , Switzerland and Austria , "Delikatessen" (as it is spelled) has a rather different meaning. The traditional German Delikatessenläden ("stores for delicacies") sold mostly top-quality foodstuffs for cooking, not the take-out food characteristic of North American delicatessens. Such stores have mostly disappeared today, while the need for specialty stores has shifted to foreign specialties, like " Asia Shops " and so on. CANADIAN USAGE In Canada, both uses of the term are found. First-generation immigrants from Europe often use the term in a manner consistent with its original German meaning. As well, even Jewish delicatessens (as in Montreal, for example) can be either strictly take-out, or mixed take-out and sit-down restaurants. ORIGIN OF THE WORD Reference works state that the word ''delicatessen'' comes from German ''Delikatessen'', and that this German word is the plural of ''Delikatesse'', which in turn comes from French and means "delicate things (to eat)". The word ''delicate'' is recorded in Latin as ''delicatus'', with the meaning "giving pleasure, delightful". An alternative of the German words "delikates" (delicate, nominative case) and "Essen". The Germans may have seen the "esse" on the end of the French "delicatesse" and corrected it to "essen" - the German infinitive meaning "to eat", or, regarded as a gerund, meaning "eating" - refined eating. LIST OF FAMOUS DELICATESSENS
SEE ALSO |
|
|