Jewish American's all over the country, have an ethnic food that will always be associated with new york deli food. While a bagel and lox sandwich with cream cheese, is also associated with Jewish American's and the NY Deli, this article is more about Meat than fish. With the NY Deli industry under attack, and the costs involved with keeping the deli open, the deli owners have turned to cost cutting measures to keeping the doors open. NYC at one time had over 1,000 kosher deli's. (some sources say there used to be over 4000) Now there are about two dozen or less.
While New Yorker's who write about the disappearance of their beloved deli's, they don't realize that the deli is not dead, and the issue is a takeover of much more than New York City.
Enter Boar's head brands, and the American takeover over the deli industry, not only in New York City, but the entire country. The most interesting part of the Boar's head takeover of American deli's, is that they did it while branding everything with a pig's head.
What you have here is a pig head logo, on the deli outside sign, then another pig head logo on the deli counter and another pig head logo on the cheese counter.
What this means to a non jew is brand recognition, but what this means to a jew is that you are breaking traditional kosher dietary laws, and you are not only mixing meat and milk, in violation of jewish dieatary laws, and that pork is served in this deli, and cut on the same deli slicing machine as turkey, chicken and what not, but the biggest thing that all this boar's head branding is to put jew's on notice, that you are being warned of your wrong doing, every time you eat at a non-kosher deli.
New York deli food is ethnic because at one time it was all kosher, and the customers were all jewish. Over time, many american Jews slowly became less strict about their observance of jewish dietary laws, and jewish deli owners wanted to gain a larger audience. Maybe, these deli owners first decided they needed to be open on friday and saturday, so then came opening on shabbat, then came cheeses in the deli. Cheese was foreign to the deli of New York, because new york deli food was associated with MEAT. (Separating meats and cheeses is a jewish kosher dietary law, and also a rule for kosher restaurants.)
What foods were once found in a kosher deli?
Brisket, pastrami, kugel, matzo balls, beef tongue, liver, egg salad and gefilte fish, can be found there. As well as hoagies and hot sandwiches to order, without cheese, which under kosher law cannot be served with meat. This also means that coffee with non-dairy cream will be served.
Boar’s Head Placards: Placards bearing an unauthorized OU symbol and the Boar’s Head logo have been distributed to delis. These placards are not an indication of the Kosher status of their corresponding products. Corrective action is being taken. Consumers spotting these placards are requested to contact the Orthodox Union at 212-613-8241 or via email at kashalerts@ou.org.
Jews might have been tricked by "jewish style" or "kosher style" signs that seemed to make eating non-kosher ok. This trickery does not last long, but the damage is done.
Another disgusting aspect of the boar's head brand takeover is the product kosher dill pickles. Why would someone buy a kosher pickle with a pig head logo on the container? Its revolting and quite disgusting that someone could get away with doing it. I realize that the process involves kosher salt, and not kosher laws, but it is still disgusting and tasteless on their part.
I am thouroughly disgusted, and why I choose kosher new york deli's over a pig's head brand called boar's head.
Before I rant on, let me just say this: There is one deli brand responsible for making jews realise that they are not eating within the jewish dieatary laws.
While some jews rationalise that as long as they don't eat pork, they are ok to eat cheese on their sandwitches.
The one brand responsible for taking the blinders off of jews who eat in new york deli's is the brand with the pig's head logo. Boar's head brands not only is big in deli meats, they are also equally as big in cheese's sold at the deli counter.
More about boar's head brand, and how their target is American's who have no connection with jewish traditons or dietary laws.
Boar's Head has been dedicated to quality, offering on the freshest, best-tasting meats and cheeses. Boar's Head products are made the old-fashioned way, without fillers or artificial flavors. Dozens of Boar's Head products are certified heart-healthy.
Boar's Head Brand meats and cheeses are upper tier deli selections. They use whole muscle, while others use 3 to 4 parts of other muscles, and pack them together with fillers.
Boar's Head also has an entire line of lower-sodium products, that we slice here at Market Place. You can find more nutritional information here, or pick up the Nutritional Guide at the Deli.
Custom Sliced
Boar's Head meats and cheeses contain no by-products, no cereals or fillers, and no artificial flavors or colors. They use pure beef, pork and poultry, and real spices. The ham is trimmed by hand the old-fashioned way, and their turkey and chicken is oven roasted, just the way you roast yours. Most importantly Boar's Head maintains unwavering standards of quality.
Some remaining New York Delicatassens (if you know of more, then let me know) Also, if you see the boar's head brand logo taking over your favorite deli, send me a photo.
Manhattan
Artie's Delicatessen: 2290 Broadway (83rd Street); arties.com
Carnegie Deli: 854 Seventh Avenue (at 55th Street); carnegiedeli.com
Katz's: 205 East Houston Street (at Ludlow Street); katzdeli.com
PJ Bernstein Deli & Restaurant: 1215 Third Avenue (70th/71st streets); 212-879-0914
Sarge's: 548 Third Avenue (36th/37th streets); sargesdeli.com
Stage Deli: 834 Seventh Avenue (53rd/54th streets); stagedeli.com
Queens
Ben's Best: 96-40 Queens Boulevard (Rego Park, near 63rd Drive); bensbest.com
Queen's Deli: 12209 Liberty Avenue (Jamaica, at 122nd Street); 718-845-2626
The Bronx
Leibman's: 235th Street (Riverdale, between Johnson/Oxford streets); 718-548-4534
Brooklyn
Adelman's Kosher Deli & Restaurant: 1906 Kings Highway (at East 19th Street); 718-336-4915
Mill Basin Kosher Delicatessen: 5823 Avenue T (Mill Basin, at East 58th Street); mssk6.bizland.com
Remaining Appetizing Stores
Barney Greengrass: 541 Amsterdam Avenue (at 86th Street); barneygreengrass.com
Murray's Bagels: Sixth Avenue (12th/13th streets); murraysbagels.com
Russ & Daughters: 179 East Houston Street (Allen/Orchard streets); russanddaughters.com
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Pastrami Sandwich From Ben's Kosher Deli
The pastrami was excellent and plentiful. This was a great sandwich.
Bens's Kosher Deli & Restaurant
209 W 38th St
New York
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BOAR'S HEAD DELI MEATS
BOLOGNA
BRAUNSWEIGER
CORNED BEEF
HARD SALAMI
HEAD CHEESE (SOUSE)
HONEY HAM
LIVERWURST
PANCETTA
PEPPERONI
ROAST BEEF
SWEET HAM
TURKEY OVEN GOLD
TURKEY PASTRAMI
TURKEY SAUSILITO
BOAR'S HEAD MUSTARDS
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DELI CHEESES
AMERICAN
BABY SWISS HA LO: Regular and low fat
CO-JACK
CO-JACK PEPPER
COLBY
COLBY PEPPER
FOUR-YEAR-OLD CHEDDAR
HOT PEPPER
PROVOLONE
REGGIANO PARMESAN
SMOKED CHEDDAR
SUPER SHARP
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There's a certificate on the wall at the deli's entrance that confirms it's been given the seal of approval by the Scranton Orthodox Rabbinate. Two local rabbis come in for regular inspections to make sure everything is, well, kosher.
Gentiles are only allowed behind the deli counter if Mr. Blatt or another observant Jew is present. Upon the deli's closing every night, a row of windows comes down and seals it off from the rest of the store, and no other store employee, including Mr. Riccardo, has access to it.
But for all my knowledge of Jewish delis, the roots of the foods served there remained a mystery to me. I'd learned that the word delicatessen derives from German and French and loosely translates as "delicious things to eat." And I knew that when they began appearing in New York and other North American cities in the 1870s, Jewish delicatessens were little more than bare-bones kosher butcher shops offering sausages and cured meats. But as the American Jewish experience evolved away from that of eastern Europe's, so did the Jewish delicatessen's menu. Its flavors assimilated, and it turned into an American sandwich shop with a greatest-hits collection of Yiddish home-style staples: chopped liver, knishes (see Recipe: Potato Knish), matzo ball soup.
Joe's Meat Market proudly serves Boar's Head Brand products.
Boar's Head products contain:
NO Artificial Colors
NO Artificial Flavors
NO Cereals
NO Fillers
NO Pork & Beef By Products
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Premium Meats
Boar's Head Deluxe Ham
Boar's Head Tavern Ham
Boar's Head Black Forest Ham
Boar's Head Ham Capicolli
Boar's Head Pastrami
Boar's Head Olive Loaf
Boar's Head Bologna
Boar's Head Liverwurst
Boar's Head OvenGold Turkey Breast
Boar's Head Honey Maple Turkey
Boar's Head Chicken Breast
Boar's Head B.B.Q. Chicken
Boar's Head Pepper Turkey
Boar's Head Cajun Turkey
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Premium Cheeses
Boar's Head American Cheese
(yellow or white)
Boar's Head Provolone
Boar's Head Muenster
Boar's Head Mozzarella Slicing
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Boar's Head Giant Beef Franks
Boar's Head Beef Franks
Boar's Head Sauerkraut (1lb)
Boar's Head Mustard
Boar's Head Horse Radish
Boar's Head BBQ Sauce
Boar's Head Hot Sauce
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