Notices of this sort started showing up in Richmond, Virginia, in May of 1899, and in New Orleans in 1900, many of them in advertisements for Jewish grocers or for department stores that maintained delicatessen sections. Within a few years, a similar slate of sausages, cured meats, and cheese was being sold in dozens of cities throughout the country, including Des Moines; Omaha; Denver; Paducah, Kentucky; and Charlotte. Notably absent from this list are any cities in the state of Texas.
Also noteworthy is that the delicacies advertised were not made locally. Stein’s Grocery in Santa Fe proclaimed that its selection had just been received from “M. Zimmerman” in New York. Phillips Delicatessen in New Orleans called itself the “Headquarters of David Berg & Co.’s Celebrated Kosher Goods,” while Miller Van Ness Co. in Charlotte announced, “Don’t forget we are handling Gombright’s lines,” which included wurst, “pastroma,” hard salami, smoked tongues, and frankfurters. In a later ad, Phillips revised the spelling of its supplier’s name, touting a “[f]resh lot, Gambrechts sausages.”
