Flavors · New York

Pastrami on rye

Pastrami sandwich: cured, seasoned and smoked beef, hot-sliced on rye bread with mustard. It’s the sandwich of New York’s Jewish delicatessens.

Traditional dish from New York, New York

Also known as: Pastrami sandwich

Updated October 2026

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Pastrami on rye — New York, the United States — Pastrami on rye

Pastrami on rye — New York, the United States

Pastrami on rye is a sandwich of hot-sliced pastrami served on rye bread with dark, spicy mustard and a side of pickled cucumbers. Pastrami is beef cured in brine, coated with spices such as black pepper and coriander, smoked and then steamed until tender.

The meat arrived in New York in the second half of the 19th century with Jewish immigrants from Romania, where salted and dried meats were prepared for preservation. In the city, the recipe gained smoking and steaming.

According to accounts repeated by the press and the history of delicatessens, Sussman Volk, an immigrant butcher, was the first to serve pastrami sliced between two slices of rye bread at his shop on Delancey Street in the Lower East Side around 1887 or 1888, using a recipe he received from a Romanian friend.

The sandwich became the symbol of New York’s Jewish delicatessens. The city’s tourism agency includes it among typical New York foods, and the generous amount of meat between the bread is part of the tradition.

Portions tend to be large, and many people share the sandwich.

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Where it comes from

New York , New York
The sandwich of New York’s Jewish delicatessens, born in the Lower East Side.

Ingredients

Beef pastrami (cured, seasoned, smoked and steamed), rye bread, dark mustard and pickled cucumbers on the side.

How it is eaten

Hot, eaten with the hands, served with mustard and pickles on the side. Portions are usually large.

When it is eaten

Year-round, at lunch.

Your questions

Questions about Pastrami on rye

What is pastrami?

Beef cured in brine, coated with spices, smoked and steamed. In New York it is served hot-sliced.

Who created the pastrami sandwich?

According to accounts repeated in the history of delicatessens, Sussman Volk, who served it on Delancey Street around 1887 or 1888.

What is pastrami on rye eaten with?

With dark, spicy mustard on the bread and pickled cucumbers on the side.

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