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Until the late nineteenth century, delicatessens were primarily run by
Germans and Alsatians in this country. The word itself derives from German and means delicacies, but is used not only to describe
a shop, but also is the word for the products sold in a shop. Eventually Jews, too, went into the business. Delis were especially
attractive for the observant as the stores were open on Sundays, selling canned and packaged goods, often duplicating the
services of grocery stores. More than anything else the delicatessen became the "Jewish eating experience" in this
country. The quintessential Jewish "kosher style" delicatessen today is the Carnegie on Fifty-fifth and Seventh
Avenue in New York. It was here that the deli became known nationwide when New York magazine rated its pastrami number one
in New York in 1975.
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