Dictionary Definition
pastrami n : highly seasoned cut of smoked
beef
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Etymology
From Yiddish pastrame, from Romanian pastrama. That word is probably from pastırma, a variation of bastırma, "dried meat", from root *bas-, to press; the other possible origin of the Romanian word is the παστώνω (pastono, "I salt"), from (pastos, "sprinkled with salt", "salted"). The English spelling ending in -mi is probably from the influence of salami.Pronunciation
- (UK): /pæˈstrɑːmi/, /p
Extensive Definition
Pastrami is a popular delicatessen meat made from
chiefly red
meat.
Preparation
The raw meat is salted (through immersion in a thick brine), then partly dried and seasoned with various herbs and spices (such as garlic, crushed coriander, black pepper, marjoram, basil, allspice, cloves), and smoked. In the United Kingdom and the United States, beef is used and the meat is steamed after smoking, before serving.Origin
The English word pastrami is derived from the (pronounced pastróme). Both the dish and the word were brought to the United States with a wave of the Jewish immigration from Bessarabia and Romania in the second half of the 19th century; it is a signature dish of the local Jewish cuisine of these regions. The word, however, as used in Yiddish and various languages of the Balkans (e.g. Romanian pastramă), which entered the Russian language as pastromá, is likely of Turkish origin, spread during the period of the Ottoman domination of the region. The authoritative dictionary of gastronomic terminology of the Yiddish language (by Dr. M. Schaechter) and the official etymological dictionary of the Romanian language, the Dicţionarul explicativ al limbii române, derive the term from Turkish pastırma. Indeed the ancient Turkish word for it is "basturma" (which means "pressed") from which the words pastırma and pastrami have been derived. One legend recounts that Turkic horsemen of Central Asia used to preserve meat by placing slabs of it in the pockets on the sides of their saddles, where it would be pressed by their legs as they rode.An analogous Armenian and Middle
Eastern dish is known as basturma. Early references in English
spelled "pastrama", while its current form is associated with a
Jewish store
selling "pastrami" in New York
City in 1887. It is likely that this spelling was introduced to
sound related to the Italian salami.
Unlike its Jewish and
derivatively modern American counterparts (where pastrami is
exclusively a beef dish), in the Romanian tradition, mutton was
used and over time pork became the prevalent choice. Romanians
distinguish between different kinds of pastrami, depending on the
meat used. When not specified, pork is implied.
It usually is served as a
cold cut
in sandwiches, but it can also be heated and served as a side dish
with various foods. One such example is fried pastrami, with corn
mamaliga (similar to
the Italian dish polenta) and green
onions.
Traditional New York pastrami
is made from the navel end of the brisket, which contains
considerably more fat than the chest area. It is first cured in
brine like corned beef,
and then coated with a mix of spices and smoked. It is typically
sliced and served hot in a rye bread
sandwich, sometimes with cole slaw and
Russian
dressing. It is also commonly found in the popular Reuben
Sandwich. In recent years, this version of pastrami has become
hard to find, due to the scarcity of old-fashioned Jewish
delicatessens.
Turkey pastrami is made by
processing ground turkey in a fashion similar to red meat pastrami.
Unlike certain other turkey-based deli meats, such as turkey ham or
turkey salami, that are intended to simulate corresponding red meat
deli products, turkey pastrami has a texture and flavor unlike that
of red meat pastramis.
As with corned beef, pastrami
was created as a method for preserving meat from spoilage in an age
before modern refrigeration methods. This technique is now
unnecessary, but its unique flavor still attracts many aficionados
worldwide.
Cultural references
See also
References
pastrami in Arabic:
البسطرمة
pastrami in German:
Pastrami
pastrami in Spanish:
Pastrami
pastrami in French:
Pastrami
pastrami in Hebrew:
פסטרמה
pastrami in Malay
(macrolanguage): Pastrami
pastrami in Dutch:
Pastrami
pastrami in Japanese:
パストラミ
pastrami in Portuguese:
Pastrami
pastrami in Russian:
Пастрома
pastrami in Swedish:
Pastrami