8 reasons why a pastrami sandwich is super sexy
What’s romantic about a sourdough slice of bread with pastrami, pickles and mustard? And where does pastrami actually come from? Why does George Constanza (Seinfeld) go completely wild over it? Questions, questions, and here are the answers.
Sexy sandwich, part 1
That scene in When Harry Met Sally in which Meg Ryan pretends to fake an orgasm, and the woman at the table next to her orders ‘I’ll have what she’s having’? Wrong decision by that woman. Harry was eating a pastrami sandwich and Sally had a turkey ham sandwich, and everyone knows that at delicatessen Katz’s, where this scene was filmed, you eat the most delicious pastrami sandwich in the world.
Sexy sandwich, part 2
Was that actually a tasty pastrami sandwich in that scene? According to experts, no: Harry could easily pick it up and eat it without making a mess. Usually, these sandwiches are piled so incredibly high that you can barely get your fingers around them, and some of the filling ends up on your plate or your shirt. Eating at an angle, jaw cramps—it’s all part of the perfect pastrami on rye.
Beef, goat, goose
Pastrami was invented in the Ottoman Empire, now Turkey. It was then called basturma or pastirma, and consisted of seasoned meat, for example beef, goat or mutton. Horsemen put the meat in their saddlebags, and the meat was flattened while they rode. This method of preparing meat ended up in Romania, where goose leg was used.
Goodbye, goose
At the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century, Jewish immigrants came to New York from Eastern Europe, including Romania. And they brought those delicious recipes for ham with them. That’s where American pastrami comes from. Before long, goose leg was banned and replaced with beef. Logical: it was easier to obtain and considerably cheaper.
Wife in the sausage grinder
At that time, most butchers in New York were immigrants from Germany. They made not only ham and pastrami, but also many different kinds of sausage. Those sausages became less popular for a while when small bones and a wedding ring were found in a sausage maker’s grinder. Oh yes, his wife had also been missing for some time. Naturally, the story went around that his wife had disappeared into the sausage. In that case, pragmatic Americans thought, they’d rather have a pastrami sandwich.
What a hassle
How do you actually make pastrami? It’s quite a process. To begin with: belly meat. It contains enough fat and is inexpensive. It is put in brine so that it keeps longer, develops more flavor and stays beautifully pink. The meat is then coated in a rub with black pepper and coriander. Then it is smoked and dried and then… goodness, what a lot of work. Even delicatessen Katz’s no longer makes its pastrami in-house; they have outsourced that nicely.
Lovely and fatty, please
The pastrami is important, but the bread you put it on and what you eat with it are also absolutely crucial. Pastrami belongs on sourdough bread made with rye flour. It should contain caraway seeds, and it needs to be spread with mustard. Pickles on the side. And the meat has to be nice and fatty. Your sandwich should definitely contain no mayo, butter or tomatoes, so if you eat lean meat, it’s a dry bite.
Sexy sandwich, part 3
So there is always far too much filling on a pastrami sandwich. The author of the book Pastrami on Rye, An Overstuffed History of the Jewish Deli writes that the ‘meat is crammed between the slices of bread’ and that it reminds him of ‘copulation’. Wow.
And George Constanza in Seinfeld completely agrees; he goes completely wild when he has a date with a woman who feeds him pastrami and says she considers it the ‘most sensual’ sandwich filling. I’ll have what she’s having?
Read also:
- Why you’ll never want to eat squid again after watching the fantastic film My Octopus Teacher
- Horror films combined with piping-hot pizzas are hilarious
- Top 10 sexiest chefs
Source: The Economist
