The Jewish Deli

June 12, 2023
This appetizing graphic guide from Nadler (Heretics!) lays out a humorous and informative history of the Jewish deli in North America. With sections that include meat, fish, bagels, schmear, and dessert, the primer is populated by talking sandwiches and humans drawn digitally with triangular noses, boneless arms, and a variety of historical dress. Deli food was born from scarcity, according to Nadler; brisket became the cut of choice because it was cheap, and the brining process lessened its toughness. This is also a story of immigration, fusion, and evolution. If traditionalists find modern dishes like matzo ramen abhorrent, Aaron Israel, who runs Shalom Japan with his wife, points out that adaptation is the ultimate Jewish m.o.: “People who didn’t necessarily have a home base, who lived in various places and adapted to the local culture, brought in a lot of the local traditions and made it work with dietary laws—that’s always been the history of Jewish food.” Sprinkled throughout are portraits of famous delicatessens (Katz’s and Russ & Daughters in N.Y.C.; Canter’s in L.A.) and interviews with the passionate counter-folks who operate them. This will satisfy both the culturally and the culinarily curious.