Pastrami facts for kids
Pastrami is a special kind of meat, often made from beef. It comes from Romania and is similar to a Turkish meat called pastırma. Sometimes, pastrami is also made from lamb or turkey.
To make pastrami, the raw meat is first soaked in a salty water mix called brine. Then, it's partly dried and covered with tasty herbs and spices. After that, it's smoked and steamed.
Pastrami was first made a long time ago as a way to keep meat fresh before people had refrigerators. It's a very famous meat in American Jewish cuisine and in New York City. You'll often find hot pastrami served in delicatessens (special sandwich shops), especially in a sandwich called a pastrami on rye.
What's in a Name?
The name "pastrami" comes from the Romanian word pastramă. This word means "to keep food fresh for a long time." It's also connected to the Turkish word pastırma, which means "pressed meat." Some people think the name pastırma comes from an old Greek word for "dried meat."
People in a place called Anatolia (which is now part of Turkey) have been making wind-dried beef for hundreds of years. Some believe this old dried meat from the Byzantine Empire was an early version of today's pastırma.
When pastrami first came to English-speaking countries, it was often spelled "pastrama." This was closer to the Romanian spelling. The spelling changed to "pastrami" probably because it sounded like "salami," another popular meat.
How Pastrami Came to America
Pastrami arrived in the United States in the late 1800s. Many Jewish people from Romania and a region called Bessarabia moved to America around that time. They brought their recipes with them.
In Romania, people often made pastrami from goose meat because it was cheap. But in America, beef navel (a part of the cow's belly) was cheaper than goose. So, Romanian Jews in America started making pastrami from beef instead.
A man named Sussman Volk is often given credit for making the first pastrami sandwich in the U.S. in 1887. He was a kosher butcher who came to New York from Lithuania. Volk said he got the pastrami recipe from a Romanian friend. He started serving pastrami sandwiches from his butcher shop. They became so popular that he turned his shop into a restaurant just to sell them!
How Pastrami is Made and Eaten
The traditional cut of meat for pastrami is beef plate. However, in the United States, it's now common to use beef brisket, beef round, or even turkey. In New York, pastrami is usually made from beef navel, which is the lower part of the beef plate.
Here's how it's generally made:
- First, the meat is soaked in a salty brine.
- Then, it's covered with a mix of spices. These spices often include garlic, coriander, black pepper, paprika, cloves, allspice, and mustard seed.
- After being seasoned, the meat is smoked.
- Finally, it's steamed until it becomes very tender. The steaming helps the tough parts of the meat break down into a soft, jelly-like substance.
Pastrami is most famous in sandwiches, especially on rye bread. But it can be used in other ways too! For example, in the early 1960s, Greek immigrants in Salt Lake City, Utah, started making a cheeseburger topped with pastrami and a special sauce. This pastrami cheeseburger is still a popular food in burger restaurants in Utah today.
See also
In Spanish: Pastrami para niños
