Amongst the self-indulgent celebrity chef memoirs and the preachy locavore polemics on the food literature shelf this fall, there is a new book by David Sax on the history of Jewish delicatessens that is funny, fascinating and tastier than a baby beef sandwich from Yitz's.
Born in Montreal, raised in Toronto and currently living in Brooklyn, New York, Sax first thought of Jewish deli as a source of erudition rather than indigestion when he took a course at McGill University called The Sociology of Jews in North America. While researching a paper on delis, he discovered they were hurtling towards extinction. Instead of lying there like a pickle, he decided to do something about it. After three years of research, which included eating enough pastrami, corned beef and pickled tongue to stop the heart of a grizzly bear, Sax has completed Save the Deli: In Search of Perfect Pastrami, Crusty Rye, and the Heart of Jewish Delicatessen (McClelland and Stewart, $32.99). Deli lovers now have their Bible, or Old Testament, if you will.While delicatessens may not have the cachet of pandas, Sax proves they are an essential part of North America's Jewish cultural heritage and an institution worth saving. And it's not just the succulent sandwiches and sour dills that tug at his heartstrings: delis are warm, friendly places where kids frolic, tables intermingle, waitresses wisecrack, owners backslap and the food comforts like no other. As I've always said: "It's hard not to love a restaurant that smells like chicken soup."Sax is painstakingly thorough, yet never boring. In his travels he unearths some interesting facts: the big delis in New York cater mostly to tourists; Los Angeles wears the deli crown (sorry New York); and Montreal, despite having half the Jewish population of Toronto, has a much healthier deli scene thanks to the Quebecois affinity for viande fumée.Sax is also the only food writer I know that can wax lyrically about a stack of kosher cold cuts with the passion and vocabulary of a wine scribe. Here's a gem on Langer's Delicatessen in Los Angeles: "The Langer's pastrami sandwich is a sculpture of delicatessen that encapsulates perfection at every turn...Before the first bite, the tangy aroma of warm yeast, Romanian spices, and vaporized schmaltz teases the nose and entices the taste buds...It is simply legendary, beyond any descriptive powers I possess."After much doom and gloom, the book ends on a positive note with the rebirth of the 2nd Avenue Deli in Manhattan. Here in Toronto, the insane popularity of the recently relocated Caplansky's - they sold four tons of smoked meat in their first week! - proves Jewish deli is not ready for Baycrest (retirement home) just yet.I, for one, will do my share to save the deli: one sandwich at a time.