Deli 101 | Helfeld's Delicatessen & Catering

Pastrami vs. Corned Beef

Corned Beef: This is brisket that has been cured in brine (salt water and spices). It is then boiled or steamed. It’s salty, tender, and has a clean, savory beef flavor. Pastrami is corned beef that has been rubbed with a heavy crust of black pepper, coriander, and garlic, then smoked, and finally steamed. It’s deeper, smokier, and more complex than corned beef.

Lox vs. Belly Lox

In the strictest deli terms, Lox is any salmon that has been cured in a salt brine but never smoked. However, Belly Lox is the "gold standard" for traditionalists. It is taken specifically from the fattiest part of the fish—the belly—resulting in a texture that is incredibly silky and buttery. Because it is salt-cured, it is aggressively salty. If you order "Lox" at a modern shop, you’re likely getting Nova, which is lightly salted and cold-smoked.

Bialy vs. Bagel

Unlike a bagel, which is boiled before baking to create a shiny, thick crust, a bialy is only baked. It also lacks a hole; instead, it has a signature central depression or "well" that is traditionally filled with a savory mixture of diced onions. The bialy was created in Białystok, Poland. Its name is actually a shortened version of Bialystoker Kuchen, which literally means "bread from Białystok" in both Yiddish.

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Rye vs Marble Rye

This is the workhorse of the Jewish deli. It is typically a Light Rye, meaning it’s made with "white" rye flour mixed with a high percentage of wheat flour to give it lift. Mild, tangy, and earthy. Most of the "rye" flavor people recognize actually comes from caraway seeds, which are almost always added to this dough. Marble rye is a visual masterpiece created by swirling two different doughs together—traditionally a Light Rye and a Dark Rye.

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