What Is a Jewish Appetizing Store? The Quiet Sibling of the Deli

The Historical Split Between Delis and Appetizing Shops

Jewish immigrants arriving in New York City roughly a century ago established strict structural divisions for their food culture, according to reporting by The Associated Press. Delicatessens served hot meat items like pastrami, corned beef, brisket, tongue, and chopped liver. Meanwhile, separate appetizing stores supplied everything else: smoked and cured fish, cream cheese, pickled vegetables, herring in cream sauce, butter, and eggs. According to dietary law, fish is neutral, allowing it to sit comfortably alongside either meat or dairy. As religious observance shifted and foods entered the mainstream through the decades, many delis added fish to their menus, causing the standalone appetizing store count to drop dramatically from its 1930s to 1950s peak.

A National Wave of New Appetizing Outlets

A new wave of storefronts is reclaiming this heritage across the United States. Biederman’s Specialty Foods launched in Philadelphia in 2021, channeling classic New York appetizing shops with a heavy focus on high-quality fish, as noted by The Associated Press. Meanwhile, Mish Delicatessen opened in Los Angeles, and Steingold’s Deli operates three locations in Chicago, both offering a hybrid menu of deli meats and traditional appetizing staples.

Understanding the Spread: Lox, Nova, and Schmear

Navigating an appetizing counter requires knowing the precise terminology of the ingredients. According to food writer and cookbook author Cathy Barrow, the term “schmear” derives from a Yiddish word meaning to spread, which evolved to describe whipped cream cheese often lightened with sour cream, lemon juice, or seltzer. When ordering fish, customers face distinct curing methods:

• Lox: Raw salmon cured strictly in a salt brine without heat, resulting in a dense, silky, and salty texture that can take weeks to cure, according to The Associated Press.
• Nova: Salmon that is first cured and then cold-smoked under 90 degrees Fahrenheit, creating a milder, less salty profile with a delicate smoky layer.
• Hot-smoked salmon: Fish smoked at temperatures well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit, cooking the flesh into a flaky, firm fillet rather than thin slices.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between a Jewish deli and an appetizing store?

Historically, a deli served meat items like pastrami and corned beef, while an appetizing store sold smoked fish, dairy, bagels, and eggs to comply with kosher laws forbidding the mixing of meat and dairy.

What fish is typically found on an appetizing counter?

According to Acme Smoked Fish co-owner Emily Caslow, traditional counters feature Nova, sable, whitefish, baked or kippered salmon, smoked trout, and herring.

Why are appetizing foods popular around Yom Kippur?

Observant families do not cook on Yom Kippur, making a room-temperature spread of bagels, cream cheese, and smoked fish an ideal meal to pull together ahead of time for breaking the fast.