1. Hot Dog
European butchers introduced the 'dog' to New York in the 1800's, with Charles Feltman from Germany starting up a pushcart to sell the first hot dog on the beach of Coney Island in 1870. An employee of Feltman opened a shop opposite the pushcart offering hot dogs at a reduced price. Nathan Handwerker put his ex-boss out of business but started an iconic annual hot dog eating contest that has been running on July 4 (Independence Day) ever since.
In 1973, Papaya King had sold an original combination of hotdog and papaya drink for over 40 years, when an ex-employee opened up Gray's Papaya. It became a famous eatery that featured in movies and television productions such as 'You've Got Mail', 'Sex and the City' and 'Glee'.
Their high quality all-beef dogs in a natural casing are grilled and served on a toasted bun with sauerkraut and spicy brown mustard. A great spot to go on our way to the National History Museum!
2. The Bagel
Jewish bagels are thought to have come from Krakow in the 17th Century and were brought to New York by Polish Jewish immigrants in the 1810's. In the mid-town borough that has the Chrysler Building, Grand Central Station and Empire State Building, new arrivals to New York searched for the American Dream. Here, bagel bakeries became so ubiquitous that a union was established to protect its workers and the craft of the handmade bagel. In the 1960's, the invention of automatic baking machines enabled pre-sliced bagels to become mainstream.
The New York bagel of choice is smoked salmon and cream cheese, after a 1930's Kraft marketing campaign that successfully promoted the cream cheese combo. Lox (thinly sliced smoked salmon) was sold from pushcarts on the Lower East Side that were owned by Jewish immigrants in the early 1900's. Harry Brownstein, who emigrated from Russia in 1905, sold smoked fish in New York from his horse-drawn wagon. He was the founder of Willamsburg's Acme Smoked Fish company which now supplies bagel bakeries with kosher salmon.
Zucker's Bagels in midtown are hand rolled and kettle-boiled and made from plain-yeast dough using unbleached flour and sweetened with malt syrup. This makes their bagels a sweet bread with a crust that's chewy but not heavy. Zucker's Traditional Sandwich is a bagel filled with Nova Scotia smoked salmon, plain cream cheese, red onions and capers, Lucky's beefsteak tomatoes, served with a pickle and coleslaw. Let's search out the bagels when we visit Grand Central Railway.
3. Doughnut
The earliest 'doughnut' originated in Europe and the Middle East and made their way to New York as Dutch olykoeks (oil cakes). By the 1850's, the doughnut evolved into their recognisable ring shape. At Ellis Island, immigrants were welcomed to New York with coffee and doughnuts. In 1921, New York was home to the first automated doughnut machine which enabled them to be mass produced. The US produces around 10 billion doughnuts each year and new alternatives are always being devised such as the Cronut - a croissant/doughnut hybrid that originated in New York.
Chang W. Lee The New York Times
4. Pizza
Italian immigrants introduced the first pizzas to New Yorkers with early pioneering pizzerias using the best ingredients, including homemade fresh mozzarella. The New York regional style of pizza has a thin crust that allows for faster cooking in a city where everyone is in a hurry.
1000thingsnyc.com.au
5. Pastrami on Rye
The Pastrami on Rye is the New York sandwich: lots of smoked black-edged slices of pastrami inside two pieces of rye bread, smothered in yellow mustard and accompanied by pickles. The recipe has not changed at Katz Delicatessen since it opened in 1888 on the Lower East Side. At the time it was home to a thriving community of Jewish immigrants. The original pastrami sandwich was created by Sussman Volk, a kosher butcher but Katz Deli made it famous. About 6800kg of pastrami is consumed each week by Katz Deli clientele - these have included 4 US presidents, numerous celebrities whose photos dot the wood-panelled walls, and serving US soldiers.
newyork.seriouseats.com
6. The New York Cheesecake
The baked cheesecake has been eaten in Europe since the 1400's, but New Yorker's have appropriated the recipe by claiming it as their own. Reputedly created by Arnold Reuben, a German immigrant, the NewYork cheesecake was made famous by Lindy's restaurant in midtown in the 1920's. The dessert featured cream cheese, heavy cream, a dash of vanilla and a cookie crust, becoming hugely popular in the 1940's.
newyork.seriouseats.com
7. Ice Cream Cone
Ice cream first arrived in New York in the early 1700's but was a luxury items that was mainly consumed by the elite. In the 1790 summer, George Washington and his wife Martha spent around $200 ($3000 today) on the dessert. The 19th century technical advances in refrigeration and the transportation of ice, enabled the general population to consume ice cream. Post World War II, the Americans celebrated with ice cream with each person consuming around 20 quarts in 1946.
The first ice cream cone was produced by Italo Marchiony, an immigrant from Italy in the late 1800's. He invented his ice cream cone in New York city and was granted a patent in December 1903. Another alternative using a crisp waffle-like pastry was made at the St Louis World's Fair in 1904.
newyork.seriouseats.com
Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory
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