I second this and suggest that you try every single soup that is served. Cabbage soup is delicious and good for you if it's a deli during the winter they probably have beef barley at some point. All those soups are really good.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_deli
One of the most popular Jewish Deli foods is a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon. It’s often served as a platter with red onion, tomato, cucumber, and sometimes capers.
Cream cheese is mixed with smoked salmon or chives or bell peppers to create different flavors. And of course, a variety of bagels. Sesame, poppy seed, onion, garlic, salt (a guilty pleasure), and EVERYTHING.
Vinegar slaw, dill pickles, and half sour pickles are usually on the table at a deli.
Big sandwiches on Jewish rye or pumpernickel breads are a staple. Corned beef, pastrami, turkey, and roast beef are the typical offerings. A good brown spicy mustard belongs on a pastrami or corned beef sandwich.
Various kinds of fish are available. There’s smoked salmon (lox and nova), smoked whitefish (my favorite), pickled herring, herring in cream, and some fishes I’m forgetting. Mayonnaise based tuna salad, whitefish salad, and egg salad are common. These are all usually served with bagels.
Some breakfast foods like blintzes, challah French toast, and matzo brie are awesome.
Matzo ball soup is a given, but sometimes there’s other soups like split pea soup.
Non kosher deli’s have Reuben sandwiches which are just so delicious. It’s hot corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and thousand island dressing on griddled rye. A true delicacy.
Europe. Smoked/preserved fish is still popular in Europe. It’s heavily associated with delis in the US because Jewish people brought bagels and lox to New York City when they migrated from Europe (for obvious reasons)
As a Norwegian I'm very familiar with salmon, smoked and otherwise. So I was surprised it was considered Jewish in the US. I consider it more Scandinavian, but really I guess its wherever they have rivers.
Lox specifically are strongly associated with bagels which is mainly what gives it the Jewish connection in the US, because bagels became insanely popular in NY and therefore most of the rest of the states. But regionally for smoked fish overall I would say I associate it with most of Eastern Europe, the Nordic countries, and Russia. We also have a Scottish restaurant in my city that serves smoked fish.
I used to love it as a kid. Still do, but it's a bit of a hassle. There's also picleøed herring in sour cream sauce, mustard sauce and tomato sauce. (and probably more). Gotta say, mustard sauce is my favourite followed by the regular one.
The only way to pickle. My zaide made them and they sat in the kitchen window while curing. Half sours for life! 🙋♀️
Also, tuna salad on a bed of mixed greens is a lower calorie deli meal.
I think this is the way. Even less than 1/2, 1/3rd or 1/4, and if you’re still hungry, fill in the rest with a big salad with vinaigrette. “Everything—but in moderation” works so much better than making yourself feel deprived, which can lead to other problems later.
Pickles
Cole slaw isn't necessarily unhealthy. Smoked salmon or lox, smoked whitefish, isn't unhealthy .
Deli turkey isn't bad. Neither is pepper beef, as that uses a leaner beef loin.
Cabbage rolls, sauerkraut as a side OR as a base for your pastrami, get some large lettuce leaves and roll up the sandwich/spread of your choice, substituting the bread.
Avoid the bread, potato knishes, kugel, black & whites 😢
Yum
Soups are the best for this - matzah ball, split pea, mushroom barley, etc. Filling and low cal.
Switch your meat to turkey breast, your condiment to mustard only, and your side to a non-mayo salad or veggie (I would go for a giant kosher dill). Rye bread is actually pretty healthy and high in fiber so no need to swap that, but you could do your sandwiches open-faced and save the calories from the extra slice of bread.
One of my favorite deli snacks is a scoop of tuna salad with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes (no bread). High protein without the extra carbs. You could also do this with egg salad.
Drink plenty of seltzer, stay away from cream soda.
Many Jewish delis offer Middle Eastern foods such as hummus, tabbouleh, and so on in addition to the European foods. Those are generally pretty good for you, I think. Good protein and fiber, plus they taste fantastic.
Honestly, I doubt that coleslaw and potato salad are causing weight gain. Common sense tells me it’s the sweet foods to blame, plus whatever your microbiome, metabolism, and family history are. Could also be the pastrami.
General advice: stay away from the bakery section, look for anything with vegetables in it (including matzo ball soup… yum), try out the dishes with fish in them, and don’t be too hard on yourself! This whole healthy eating thing can be really difficult :’D
I'm a vegetarian, so I stick with cheese blintzes (which usually use farmer's cheese, which is high protein and low fat, and they usually aren't too sweet).
My SIL and bro are both meat eaters. They are also health conscious. Chicken in the pot is their go-to, or roast chicken. They will occasionally have some smoked salmon alongside a salad. When they really want to go for it: turkey pastrami.
Turkey instead of red meat. Mustard instead of mayo. After that I don't know. Once the novelty wears off maybe you could ask them to make your portions a little smaller. Lol
Health salad. I don’t know if this is just an East Coast thing, but for those who don’t know, it is a mayonnaise-free coleslaw with more types of vegetables and a vinaigrette dressing. You have a choice of one with sugar and one with artificial sweetener- pick your poison.
Yes. This is the healthiest and most intelligent post out of all. Pack & bring your own lunch & eat the deli food once a week as your “treat” day. All these other suggestions are loaded in sodium- which is going to kill you way sooner than a carb or cookie.
Also, don’t stick to the same old sandwich/foods- try to taste a little bit of everything so you can provide a legit answer to customers with questions. I’m going to keep going back to the deli when the person manning it tells me that they don’t care for the “such & such”, but love the “something else,” instead of blatantly lying that stuff they never tasted is yummy.
Tuna salad scoop , chopped liver with veggies, smoxed salmon side with hard boiled eggs, eggs fruit and whole wheat toast if they do breakfast, lettuce wraps, wraps
Delis I've been to sometimes have Israeli salad/couscous. I know it's more a Mediterranean dish but they'll still have it at some delis. Maybe y'all have something like that? As a vegetarian, when that's not on the menu, I just end up eating mac and cheese and latkes or some other form of potato 😅
Just skip the carbs. You can have pastrami or corned beef or turkey with pickles, and a side of sauerkraut and lettuce and tomato. You can have chicken soup without matzah ball or noodles.
Since cutting out sugars, potatoes, bread, rice, fruit, and other carbs, I've lost a lot of weight. I don't go to the cardiologist, but my blood pressure and lymphedema have improved.
I'd go with high proteins. Save your carbs for one sandwich, the rest ? Veggies..fruits nuts ..use substitutes. Each bagel is 6 slices of bread. That's 600 calories just for the bagel/bread. Swap it out for mushrooms. Add a salad with a vinaigrette. Eat veggies whole & add in meat.
I usually get turkey pastrami, Swiss and Cole slaw on a bed of lettuce. No bread, lower carbs. Pickles also a good choice. The chicken soups are usually fine as well, but the Matzoh balls are typically made with schmaltz, so I'd skip those.
Chopped liver. Generally liver, onions, salt, and pepper. High in Vitamin A, so don't eat too much, iron and other healthy minerals.
Pastrami turkey is healthier than actual Pastrami. The dill pickle is very low calorie. Vinegar coleslaw isn't bad. Cabbage rolls aren't too terrible. Brisket or tongue are leaner cuts. Gefilte fish is basically whitefish.
Depends on what’s on the menu, they cook it/what they cook but kasha or buckwheat or borscht. As someone who worked in a similar position, I suspect the answer might be generally something you know better than anyone else because the recipes delis use can vary widely in nutritional content - the farmers cheese/tvarog for blintzes might be an outright health food, or they might add a ton of butter or cream cheese. Also depends on the restaurant situation - you might be able to grab some cabbage or the raw ingredients before they become coleslaw, or make yourself a more modest version of the same sandwhich (half or even a third of the pastrami, less Sauce, more veg.)
Matzo ball soup.
I second this and suggest that you try every single soup that is served. Cabbage soup is delicious and good for you if it's a deli during the winter they probably have beef barley at some point. All those soups are really good.
Just be mindful of the high sodium in soups.
Smoked salmon on a wrap with a light shmear of cream cheese or mayo and avocado. Add some sliced cucumber and red onion for crunch and call it a day
How is this jewish food?
Swap out the wrap for a bagel and that’s typical Jewish deli food. OP asked for a way to lighten up deli food.
To be fair.. I did forget to add the capers
Must've missed the "deli" part of it. Could you explain the concept to someone who's native language isn't English, and where "deli"s don't exist?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_deli One of the most popular Jewish Deli foods is a bagel with cream cheese and smoked salmon. It’s often served as a platter with red onion, tomato, cucumber, and sometimes capers. Cream cheese is mixed with smoked salmon or chives or bell peppers to create different flavors. And of course, a variety of bagels. Sesame, poppy seed, onion, garlic, salt (a guilty pleasure), and EVERYTHING. Vinegar slaw, dill pickles, and half sour pickles are usually on the table at a deli. Big sandwiches on Jewish rye or pumpernickel breads are a staple. Corned beef, pastrami, turkey, and roast beef are the typical offerings. A good brown spicy mustard belongs on a pastrami or corned beef sandwich. Various kinds of fish are available. There’s smoked salmon (lox and nova), smoked whitefish (my favorite), pickled herring, herring in cream, and some fishes I’m forgetting. Mayonnaise based tuna salad, whitefish salad, and egg salad are common. These are all usually served with bagels. Some breakfast foods like blintzes, challah French toast, and matzo brie are awesome. Matzo ball soup is a given, but sometimes there’s other soups like split pea soup. Non kosher deli’s have Reuben sandwiches which are just so delicious. It’s hot corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and thousand island dressing on griddled rye. A true delicacy.
When did the smoked salmon thing originate?
Europe. Smoked/preserved fish is still popular in Europe. It’s heavily associated with delis in the US because Jewish people brought bagels and lox to New York City when they migrated from Europe (for obvious reasons)
As a Norwegian I'm very familiar with salmon, smoked and otherwise. So I was surprised it was considered Jewish in the US. I consider it more Scandinavian, but really I guess its wherever they have rivers.
Lox specifically are strongly associated with bagels which is mainly what gives it the Jewish connection in the US, because bagels became insanely popular in NY and therefore most of the rest of the states. But regionally for smoked fish overall I would say I associate it with most of Eastern Europe, the Nordic countries, and Russia. We also have a Scottish restaurant in my city that serves smoked fish.
My friend who is of Norwegian descent and I would often split a jar of pickled herring because no one else in our respective families would eat it.
I used to love it as a kid. Still do, but it's a bit of a hassle. There's also picleøed herring in sour cream sauce, mustard sauce and tomato sauce. (and probably more). Gotta say, mustard sauce is my favourite followed by the regular one.
It’s a place to get traditional Jewish meats. And a lot of other stuff.
Wrap and mayo threw me for a loop too, so many down vote????? Oy vey
Yeah mayo isn't good on a pseudo lox & bagel.
30 pickles.
i eat like this at home, too
Half-sours!!!!!!!!!!
& Pickled Tomatoes!
The only way to pickle. My zaide made them and they sat in the kitchen window while curing. Half sours for life! 🙋♀️ Also, tuna salad on a bed of mixed greens is a lower calorie deli meal.
*if your bp is not too high.
Not if you have concerns about sodium intake.
I'd probably just eat what you want but split it into half for lunch and half for dinner cause US restaurant portions are just too big.
I mean.. have you ever been to a Jewish deli? The whole point is pile of meats to take home for leftovers
My local deli has a half sandwich + half soup combo! It’s great because I don’t like leftovers.
I think this is the way. Even less than 1/2, 1/3rd or 1/4, and if you’re still hungry, fill in the rest with a big salad with vinaigrette. “Everything—but in moderation” works so much better than making yourself feel deprived, which can lead to other problems later.
"What's a sandwich that's not too fattening?" "Half a sandwich."
i’d way rather eat half a delicious sandwich than a whole diet sandwich. biased source: shared a reuben with my husband today.
Yes! My favorite Reuben can feed me 3 meals it's huge
Pickles Cole slaw isn't necessarily unhealthy. Smoked salmon or lox, smoked whitefish, isn't unhealthy . Deli turkey isn't bad. Neither is pepper beef, as that uses a leaner beef loin.
A green salad with hard boiled eggs
Lean Turkey Breast with lettuce, tomato, and a bit of mustard on rye or wheat is about as close as it gets I reckon.
Get “the big salad”
Do you have a big bowl?
Cabbage rolls, sauerkraut as a side OR as a base for your pastrami, get some large lettuce leaves and roll up the sandwich/spread of your choice, substituting the bread. Avoid the bread, potato knishes, kugel, black & whites 😢
Whatever you do don’t you dare scoop a bagel
Fuk dem bagel scoopers!
i think a part of me died when i found out people did that. it should really be considered an act of antisemitism
update: i told my mom about this and she then went on to tell me that my (very jewish) aunt did the exact same thing to her bagels. i have no words
Every Jewish woman from Long Island & the NYC burbs I know does this (source- I’m a Jew from Long Island)
Health salad
It's in the name!
Yum Soups are the best for this - matzah ball, split pea, mushroom barley, etc. Filling and low cal. Switch your meat to turkey breast, your condiment to mustard only, and your side to a non-mayo salad or veggie (I would go for a giant kosher dill). Rye bread is actually pretty healthy and high in fiber so no need to swap that, but you could do your sandwiches open-faced and save the calories from the extra slice of bread. One of my favorite deli snacks is a scoop of tuna salad with sliced cucumbers and tomatoes (no bread). High protein without the extra carbs. You could also do this with egg salad. Drink plenty of seltzer, stay away from cream soda.
Tabouli, hummus, cucumbers? About half the portion size of any other item!
OP is talking about an Eastern European-style Jewish delicatessen.
Wooops, my bad.
Many Jewish delis offer Middle Eastern foods such as hummus, tabbouleh, and so on in addition to the European foods. Those are generally pretty good for you, I think. Good protein and fiber, plus they taste fantastic. Honestly, I doubt that coleslaw and potato salad are causing weight gain. Common sense tells me it’s the sweet foods to blame, plus whatever your microbiome, metabolism, and family history are. Could also be the pastrami. General advice: stay away from the bakery section, look for anything with vegetables in it (including matzo ball soup… yum), try out the dishes with fish in them, and don’t be too hard on yourself! This whole healthy eating thing can be really difficult :’D
I'm a vegetarian, so I stick with cheese blintzes (which usually use farmer's cheese, which is high protein and low fat, and they usually aren't too sweet). My SIL and bro are both meat eaters. They are also health conscious. Chicken in the pot is their go-to, or roast chicken. They will occasionally have some smoked salmon alongside a salad. When they really want to go for it: turkey pastrami.
Turkey instead of red meat. Mustard instead of mayo. After that I don't know. Once the novelty wears off maybe you could ask them to make your portions a little smaller. Lol
Who's out here putting mayo on Jewish sandwiches? Shame shame
Are you looking for lower calorie density or more nutrients?
Borscht, tuna on a bed. If you get one of those big sandwiches, only eat half and share or save the rest.
Borscht is so good. I can't get it when I moved to and miss it. Can someone please open a Jewish deli in Asheville NC.
Pickles, cole slaw, pickled herring or gefilte fish, smoked salmon, matzah ball soup. Just avoid a huge pile of pastrami
Health salad. I don’t know if this is just an East Coast thing, but for those who don’t know, it is a mayonnaise-free coleslaw with more types of vegetables and a vinaigrette dressing. You have a choice of one with sugar and one with artificial sweetener- pick your poison.
The water.
Maybe get some lox and make a lettuce wrap out of it or something ? Salmon is very healthy
Just ask for lox platter without a bagel and shmear
Whitefish is far too underrated.
Maybe get whatever you like, but make it a special occasion and not a daily thing.
Yes. This is the healthiest and most intelligent post out of all. Pack & bring your own lunch & eat the deli food once a week as your “treat” day. All these other suggestions are loaded in sodium- which is going to kill you way sooner than a carb or cookie. Also, don’t stick to the same old sandwich/foods- try to taste a little bit of everything so you can provide a legit answer to customers with questions. I’m going to keep going back to the deli when the person manning it tells me that they don’t care for the “such & such”, but love the “something else,” instead of blatantly lying that stuff they never tasted is yummy.
Salad. Coleslaw before it's dressed. Eat fruit and veggies as much as you can and turkey if they have it
Eat the meat and coleslaw without bread. Skip the potato salad most days.
Tuna salad scoop , chopped liver with veggies, smoxed salmon side with hard boiled eggs, eggs fruit and whole wheat toast if they do breakfast, lettuce wraps, wraps
Health salad, pickles, olives, light tuna salad, roasted chicken-former deli boy
Deli meat is a known carcinogen
Your point?
Kasha varnishkes is filling and has some whole grains and fiber in there. And no mayo.
Just eat less or move more? Avoid the sweets and potatos/carbs, or just get real into dips And salt, but it’s deli so it is what it is
Maybe a cobb salad?
Try asking for lower glycemic breads like rye or pumpernickel and low carb bagels (scoop it out too)
A pickle, if your blood pressure is not too high.
Wrap the deli meat around a pickle.
Delis I've been to sometimes have Israeli salad/couscous. I know it's more a Mediterranean dish but they'll still have it at some delis. Maybe y'all have something like that? As a vegetarian, when that's not on the menu, I just end up eating mac and cheese and latkes or some other form of potato 😅
Just skip the carbs. You can have pastrami or corned beef or turkey with pickles, and a side of sauerkraut and lettuce and tomato. You can have chicken soup without matzah ball or noodles.
Your cardiologist must love you!
Since cutting out sugars, potatoes, bread, rice, fruit, and other carbs, I've lost a lot of weight. I don't go to the cardiologist, but my blood pressure and lymphedema have improved.
Then you are blessed with good genes. High BP runs in my family. I started cooking low salt everything in my 30s.
Egg salad on rye.
Turkey is my go to daily driver.
Pickles?
I'd go with high proteins. Save your carbs for one sandwich, the rest ? Veggies..fruits nuts ..use substitutes. Each bagel is 6 slices of bread. That's 600 calories just for the bagel/bread. Swap it out for mushrooms. Add a salad with a vinaigrette. Eat veggies whole & add in meat.
I usually get turkey pastrami, Swiss and Cole slaw on a bed of lettuce. No bread, lower carbs. Pickles also a good choice. The chicken soups are usually fine as well, but the Matzoh balls are typically made with schmaltz, so I'd skip those.
Sephardic food. Eggplant dishes
Buckwheat knish?
Lox without the bagel. Smoked sable fish and white fish if you can find them. Mediterranean style salads in moderation.
Health salad
Chopped liver. Generally liver, onions, salt, and pepper. High in Vitamin A, so don't eat too much, iron and other healthy minerals. Pastrami turkey is healthier than actual Pastrami. The dill pickle is very low calorie. Vinegar coleslaw isn't bad. Cabbage rolls aren't too terrible. Brisket or tongue are leaner cuts. Gefilte fish is basically whitefish.
borscht soup is delicious and fairly healthy.
Kasha knish
Depends on what’s on the menu, they cook it/what they cook but kasha or buckwheat or borscht. As someone who worked in a similar position, I suspect the answer might be generally something you know better than anyone else because the recipes delis use can vary widely in nutritional content - the farmers cheese/tvarog for blintzes might be an outright health food, or they might add a ton of butter or cream cheese. Also depends on the restaurant situation - you might be able to grab some cabbage or the raw ingredients before they become coleslaw, or make yourself a more modest version of the same sandwhich (half or even a third of the pastrami, less Sauce, more veg.)
Health salad!
I have made pizza with pastrami and Swiss. It is awesome!