Pastrami

“Pastrami” is a Yiddish word derived from the Romanian pastram (a preserved food), from the Latin parcere (to save or be thrifty). It is a cured cut of beef, usually brisket, but plate and round are also used. Although not originally a specifically Jewish food, pastrami is exclusively Jewish in the United States (and unknown in other English-speaking Jewish communities). It is very rarely home-cured but is served in restaurants and available in supermarkets in Jewish neighborhoods. Because it is usually a pre-prepared dish, it is rarely mentioned in Jewish cookbooks or books about the history of Jewish food. As with so many traditional foods, there are variations in the preparation method. The meat may be dry-cured or soaked for several weeks in brine and spices, as is the case with corned beef. However, unlike corned beef, in the case of pastrami, after salting, the meat is always smoked. The technique originated in Romania but spread throughout the former Ottoman Empire, where it was also used by Christians for curing pork. The words pastrama, basturma, or variations of these words came to mean “cured beef,” “cured ham,” or “bacon,” depending on whether the community was Jewish, Muslim, or Christian. Pastrami was brought to the United States by Romanian Jews, most of whom immigrated following the Kishinev Pogroms of 1903 and 1905.