Pastrami history

Pastrami is a very popular meat product made from beef. However, there are some people that use turkey, pork or mutton meat to make Pastrami as well. Normally, the meat is brined and partially dried at first. Then they will season it with some spikes. Once the entire process is completed, the Pastrami will be smoked and steamed. There are multiple types of meat cuts for pastrami, but most of the time beef place seems to be the most common one. But how did Pastrami came to be such a popular food type?

Origins

The origin of Pastrami comes from the Romanian “pastrama” which is also coming from the Greek “παστραμάς/παστουρμάς”. The Greek version of this term comes from the Turkish pastirma too. So yes, there are plenty of countries that acquired Pastrami and used it in a variety of ways. That being said, the original pastrami was a wind-dried beef made in Anatolia for centuries.
Then people started to adapt it to their own region, and the next iteration was the Byzantine dried meat. Up to this date, this is one of the most important types of pastrami in human history.

Where does the modern Pastrami come from?

As the Turkish empire started to expand, it spread its religion and cuisine all over the region. And that’s how pastrami became very popular in Romania. In fact, this is where the modern pastrami came to be. It was created here during the 17th-18th century as people were experimenting with new types of food. The pastrami was introduced in the US during a wave of Jewish immigrations from both Romania and Bessarabia.

The reason why this dish is called pastrami is simple, it was very similar to the original “pastrama”, but at the same time it still was very similar to salami. Jewish Romanians were making pastrami from goose breasts, as those were inexpensive. That’s how the US got to experience salami in the first place. And the interesting thing is that as soon as they went to the US, the recipe changed a bit. They started replacing goose breast with beef navel because it was cheaper.

This trend came back to Europe too, so that’s why most of the pastrami nowadays includes beef meat instead of chicken. Sussman Volk is the person credited with creating the first pastrami sandwich in the US, that happened in New York back in 1887.

Conclusion

Since then, more and more chefs have started to use pastrami in one way or the other. While this was a kosher food at first, it soon became a great type of food that everyone enjoys. While it’s full of calories, pastrami can still be adapted to any type of diet. And it’s a deli for a lot of people, as it has that distinct taste you can’t find anywhere else. The best part about pastrami is that it brings in front a unique texture, and the flavor, as well as the overall taste, are quite impressive in their own right. Pastrami is indeed an amazing food, and you should at least check it out!