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Foods that have come to be symbols of New York City hail from all over the world. In the five boroughs, we have the luxury of being able to taste foods from countries and cultures that span the globe. On Untapped New York’s Taste of New York Food Tour, you can indulge in 4 foods that are now staples of the NYC food scene, but that come from a long history of Chinese, Jewish, and Italian traditions while learning about the immigrant history of Lower Manhattan. Find out what you get to eat below!
A Taste of New York Food Tour
The first food stop on our tour is at a Jewish bakery where you’ll get to taste a delicious rugelach. In Yiddish, rugelach means “little twist,” an accurate description of the pastry’s shape. The cream cheese or yeast-based dough is rolled around a filling containing different ingredients which may include chocolate, cinnamon, nuts, or fruit jams like apricot and raspberry. Rugelach came to New York City in the late 1800s with the influx of Jewish immigrants. The oldest of NYC’s Jewish bakeries still serving up fresh batches of rugelach is Kossar’s Bagels & Bialys which opened in 1936.
Keeping with the Jewish food traditions, another stop on the tour may bring you to the Pickle Guys on Grand Street, just two streets away from what was once known as Pickle Alley on Essex Street. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, dozens of pickle vendors lined the street. According to the New York Food Museum, seventeenth-century Dutch farmers first introduced the pickle to New York City when they brined and sold cucumbers that they grew on their Brooklyn farms. The word pickle even stems from the Dutch word “pekel,” which means brine. Though Dutch people introduced the pickle, it was Jewish immigrants of the late 19th and early 20th centuries who made it popular, especially the kosher dill pickle made with a brine of salt, water, dill, and garlic.
The tour route is subject to change, so you may enjoy a pickle, or a hot knish! The knishes served on this tour come from Yona Schimmal, a knishery that has been open on Houston Street since 1910. Started as a pushcart business in the 1890s, Yona Schimmal’s now serves a variety of different knishes including the original potato knish, broccoli, red cabbage, mushroom, sweet potato, and more. Their menu also features potato latkes, kugel, soups, bagels, and homemade borsht.
Few foods, if any, are more New York than pizza! On our stop at Upside Pizza, you’ll enjoy a hot, cheesy slice topped with housemade mozzarella. The first pizzeria to open in New York City is credited to Gennaro Lombardi who opened his shop on Spring Street in 1905 as waves of Italian immigrants were landing in New York, settling in Lower Manhattan, and forming Little Italy.
Chinese dumplings, also called jiaozi, are said to have originated during the ancient Han dynasty as protection against frostbitten ears during the winter. They then became a traditional food to eat during the winter solstice, but are also now enjoyed all year round. Dumplings may be prepared in a variety of ways, whether steamed, fried, or boiled, and can contain a myriad of fillings. On our Taste of New York Tour, we’ll get a sampling of dumplings from King Dumpling on Hester Street, a small shop serving up handmade dumplings, soups, and sesame pancakes. Join us for a grand food tour of Lower Manhattan where you’ll get to munch on these delicious snacks and uncover the cultural history of NYC’s famous ethnic enclaves!
A Taste of New York Food Tour
Next, check out 10 Unique Food Trucks in NYC
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