pastrami

Meaning

Noun

• A seasoned smoked cut of beef. Traditionally, this is made from a navel cut.

Origin

• Borrowed from Yiddish פּאַסטראַמע, from Romanian pastramă, from Ottoman Turkish باصدرمه (modern Turkish pastırma), a variation of bastırma, from root basmak. It is sometimes claimed that the origin of the Turkish word is Greek παστώνω, from Ancient Greek παστός. The English spelling ending in -mi is probably from the influence of salami.