Save the Deli: In Search of Perfect Pastrami, Crusty Rye, and the Heart of Jewish Delicatessen - Paperback

by David Sax (Author)

David Sax's delightful travelogue is a journey across the United States and around the world that investigates the history, the diaspora, and the next generation of delicatessen.

David Sax was alarmed by the state of Jewish delicatessen. As a journalist and lifelong deli lover, he watched in dismay as one beloved deli after another closed its doors, only to be reopened as some bland chain restaurant laying claim to the cuisine it just paved over. Was it still possible to save the deli? He writes about the food itself--how it's made, who makes it best, and where to go for particular dishes--and, ultimately, what he finds is hope: deli newly and lovingly made in places like Boulder, Colorado, longstanding deli traditions thriving in Montreal, and the resurrection of iconic institutions like New York's 2nd Avenue Deli. No cultural history of food has ever tasted so good.

Front Jacket

With insight, passion, and a digestive system at which one can only marvel, Sax peers between the layers of a pastrami sandwich and glimpses the evolution of Jewish community and identity. Roger Bennett, author of "Bar Mitzvah Disco"

As a journalist and life-long deli obsessive, David Sax was understandably alarmed by the state of Jewish delicatessen. A cuisine that had once thrived as the very center of Jewish life had become endangered by assimilation, homogenization, and health food trends. He watched in dismay as one beloved deli after another one institution after another shuttered, only to be reopened as some bland chain-restaurant laying claim to the very culture it just paved over.

And so David set out on a journey across the United States and around the world in search of authentic delicatessen. Was it still possible to "Save the Deli"?

Join David as he investigates everything deli-- its history, its diaspora, its next generation. He tells about the food itself how it s made, who makes it best, and where to go for particular dishes. And, ultimately, he finds is hope-- deli newly and lovingly made in places like Boulder, traditions maintained in Montreal, and iconic institutions like the 2nd Avenue Deli resurrected in New York.

So grab a pastrami on rye and sit down for a great read-- because "Save the Deli "is an energetic cultural history of Jewish food, a vibrant travelogue, and a rallying cry for a new generation of food lovers.

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Back Jacket

Praise for "Save the Deli""Part elegy, part lament, part rallying cry for a generation whose nitrate levels are already dangerously low, "Save the Deli" is an unparalleled look at the past, present and possible future of the pastrami, corned beef, smoked meat, kishka and cabbage rolls that have given generations the strength to kvetch and a reason to do so." Michael Wex, author of" Born to Kvetch"

"A voluptuous mitzvah for schmaltzophiles, "Save the Deli" also is a singularly practical guide to the best delis from coast to coast and around the world." -- Jane and Michael Stern, authors of "Roadfood"

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""What if they gave a pastrami on rye and nobody came? Unthinkable? That's what you think. David Sax knows better, and traces the history of the deli-- its arrival, its rise, its potential fall, its possible salvation-- with passion, humor, "chutzpah," and "tam." Enjoy." -- Ellis Weiner, author of "Yiddish with Dick and Jane"

"The kid knows how to eat and he knows how to write. You can't ask for more than that, although a glass of cream soda is always nice." Alan Richman, author of "Fork It Over: The Intrepid Adventures of a Professional Eater ""