Main Page | See live article | Alphabetical index Purpose The delicatessen is a boon to the historical and contemporary city dweller with a distaste for chain fast food joints but without time for a sit-down or home-cooked meal. It is meant to be a one stop in and out dining venue for later day meals. The word delicatessen comes from German Delikatessen meaning literally "delicate food". Delicatessen vs. Grocery Store / Market A delicatessen falls between a fast-food restaurant and a grocery store. It offers a much wider and fresher menu than chain fast food restaurants, never employing fry machines and always making sandwiches to order. A grocery store or market may make its own deli food, or even have a deli within. Like a market, a delicatessen offers a selection of shelved food, though it is very limited, entirely devoid of anything likely to be kept for more than a day. Produce, when present, is limited in quantity -- and often freshness. The largest delicatessen should not begin to approach the floor space of the smallest market. Product Base Every good delicatessen has a solid sandwich menu, all of which are made to order behind the counter. Most have a wide selection of various sandwiches, ranging from clubs to hero, hot to cold, burgers to wraps. In addition to made-to-order sandwiches, nearly all delicatessens offer made-to-order green salads. Equally essential is a selection of pre-made -- often in house -- pasta, potato, chicken, tuna, shrimp and other variety of 'wet' salads, displayed underneath the counter and bought by weight. Pre-cooked chicken, shrimp, or eggplant products, possible fried or parmigiana style are found frequently, though do not constitute the mainstay of a delicatessen. In order to provide an opportunity for a complete meal, delicatessens also offer a wide variety of beverages, usually pre-packaged soft drinks, teas, milk, etc. Chips and similiar products are available in some variety, though they rarely rival the selection of small package cookies and snack foods; some pre-packaged, others store-made and cellophane wrapped. Beyond these staples for a hearty lunch or even dinner, a delicatessen may offer some breakfast pastries and coffee, sometimes the newspaper and small food items such as candy and mints. Most delicatessens are run by a regular staff; getting to know them will probably improve your service. See Also: Supermarket Fast food Urban culture This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.