Delicatessen

European immigrants to the United States, especially Ashkenazi Jews, popularized the delicatessen in U.S. culture beginning in the late 19th century.

[2] The origin of the delicatessen as a grocery store is lost in time, but the path clearly spread across Western Europe as the term was borrowed by one people and language and culture after another.

[8] As the German-Jewish population increased in New York City during the mid- to late 1800s, kosher delicatessens began to open; the first was founded in 1889.

In German-speaking countries a common synonym is Feinkost (fine food), and shops that sell it are called Feinkostläden (delicacy stores).

European delicatessens include Fauchon in Paris, Dallmayr in Munich, Julius Meinl am Graben in Vienna, Harrods[13][14] and Fortnum & Mason in London, Peck in Milan, and Jelmoli in Zürich.

In Russia, shops and supermarket sections approximating U.S.-style delis are called kulinariya and offer salads and main courses.

The Eliseevsky food store in central Moscow, with its fin de siècle decor, is similar to a European delicatessen.

[citation needed] In Italy, the deli can be called gastronomia, negozio di specialità gastronomiche, bottega alimentare and more recently salumeria.

[17] Delis can be found at a wide variety of convenience shops, newsagents, supermarkets, petrol stations, and casual eateries throughout Ireland.

Sit-down and to-go delis offer a broader, fresher menu than fast-food chains, rarely employing fryers (except for chicken) and routinely preparing sandwiches to order.

Delicatessens offer a variety of beverages, such as pre-packaged or fountain soft drinks, bottled water, coffee, tea, and milk.