We’ll address Texas in a moment, but let’s first take a look at what has long been the standard line in food histories on pastrami’s roots in America. Most accounts point to one of two establishments as the first to sell pastrami in the United States. One is Katz’s, the iconic Lower East Side delicatessen that’s as widely known for its pastrami as it is for that When Harry Met Sally scene. It’s possible that Volk had actually opened his shop back in 1887 and remained absent from the city directories for over a decade, but it seems unlikely (and perhaps even suspicious) that the supposed date of the transaction just happens to be exactly one year before the much-publicized 1888 founding date for its rival claimant, Katz’s. Most commentators note that Katz’s was founded in 1888, and, though no one seems to know when the store actually started selling pastrami, the general consensus seems to be that if they are so good at it now, they must have been doing it very early on.
