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A delicatessen or deli is a grocery that sells a selection of fine, exotic, or foreign prepared foods. Delicatessens originated in Germany (contemporary spelling: Delikatessen) during the 18th century and spread to Canada and the United States in the mid-19th century. European immigrants to Canada and the United States, especially Ashkenazi Jews, popularized the delicatessen in North American culture beginning in the late 19th century. Today, many large retail stores like supermarkets have deli sections.
The German food company Dallmayr traces its history to 1700, when it became the first store to import to the German population bananas, mangoes, and plums from places such as the Canary Islands and China. Over 300 years later, it remains the largest business of its kind in Europe.
The first delicatessen to appear in England was L Teroni and sons. This was opened in 1878. It is still open today but is no longer run by the same family.
The first delicatessens to appear in the United States were in New York City in the early 1880s, with the first advertised use of this word occurring in early 1884 in St. Louis, Missouri, upon the opening of "Sprague's Delicatessen",St. Louis Daily Globe-Democrat, Sunday Morning, 23 March 1884 p.2 at first one lunchroom and eventually five popular downtown lunch establishments operating between 1884 and 1906.St. Louis Post-Dispatch, 21 February 1906, p.1 Early delicatessens in New York catered to the German immigrant population living there. As the German-Jewish population increased in New York City during the mid- to late 1800s, Kashrut delicatessens began to open; the first was founded in 1889. In the United States, by the late 20th to early 21st centuries, supermarkets, local economy stores, and fast food outlets began using the word (often abbreviated as "deli") to describe sections of their stores. The decline of the deli as an independent retail establishment was most noted in New York City; from a high in the 1930s of about 1,500 Jewish delicatessens, only 15 still existed in 2015.
In South Australia and Western Australia, "deli" also denotes a small convenience store or milk bar, and some businesses use "deli" as part of their business name. Traditional delicatessens also exist in these states, with "continental delicatessen" sometimes used to indicate the European version.
Although U.S.-style delicatessens are also found in Europe, they appeal to the luxury market. In Russia, shops and supermarket sections approximating U.S.-style delis are called kulinariya and offer salads and . Delicate meats and cheeses, cold-cut and sliced hot, are sold in a separate section. The Eliseevsky food store in central Moscow, with its fin de siècle decor, is similar to a European delicatessen. From the Tsarist era, it was preserved by the Soviets as an outlet for difficult-to-obtain Russian delicacies. Delicatessens may also provide foods from other countries and cultures that are not readily available in local food stores. In Italy, the deli can be called gastronomia]], negozio di specialità gastronomiche, bottega alimentare and more recently salumeria. In France it is known as a traiteur or épicerie fine]].
Popular items served at hot deli counters include chicken fillet rolls (breaded chicken fillet on a bread roll), (Irish breakfast items on a bread roll), , , and potato wedges.
Retail delis in the U.S. sell fresh-sliced cold cuts and cheeses. In addition to made-to-order sandwiches, many American delicatessens offer made-to-order green salads. Prepared pasta, potato, chicken, and tuna salads, or other salads are sometimes displayed under the counter and sold by weight. This is the same as a deli counter in a supermarket in the UK. Precooked chicken, shrimp, or eggplant dishes may also be sold. Some establishments have table seating for patrons to consume sandwiches and other food, while others only sell food to go. Delicatessens offer a variety of beverages, such as pre-packaged or fountain soft drinks, bottled water, coffee, tea, and milk. Potato chips and similar products, newspapers, and small items such as candy and mints are also usually available.
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