Nothing tastes quite like authentic Jewish pastrami.

Does your typical lunch consist of a light salad and a few wheat crackers? Do you usually choose to throw a low-cal frozen meal into the microwave? Well, If you're in the mood for something a little more tempting, something that will get your stomach rumbling and your mouth watering, you might want to head out to the nearest authentic Jewish deli and order a sandwich piled high with pastrami. Not convinced? Just listen to a true pastrami aficionado.

Kevin Albinder is the manager of Katz's Deli, the definitive New York delicatessen. Katz's has been making NYC's most famous pastrami, hot dogs, and knishes since 1888, and still makes all it's delicious food on the premises. Here he presents a beginner's guide to pastrami and offers some scrumptious serving suggestions:

• Begin with beef.
  Simply put, pastrami is beef that's been smoked, spiced and steamed. It's one of the classic examples of Jewish deli food.
  
• It ain't lean.
  Pastrami is a naturally fatty meat, and the fat is an important part of the flavor.
  
• A unique taste.
  Pastrami tastes different than any other deli meat because it combines smoky, sweet, and peppery flavors all in one. Albinger describes it as "a great juicy, spicy piece of meat that just kind of melts in you mouth."
  
• Roots in history.
  The curing process that gives pastrami its delicious flavor started out of necessity. Back in the days before refrigeration, curing was an important way of preserving meat that would otherwise spoil.
  
• The perfect sandwich meat.
  The traditional way to eat pastrami is on a sandwich, usually with rye bread or club bread.
  
• Add good mustard.
  In Albinder's opinion, the choice of mustard is key to a great pastrami sandwich. Choose flavorful, spicy deli mustard, add as much as you like, and let your taste buds enjoy how the mustard interacts with the spices in the pastrami.

For more about pastrami and Jewish cooking, check out the following websites:

Katz's Deli
www.katzdeli.com

Food Network: Emeril's favorite Pastrami Sandwich
www.foodnetwork.com

How Stuff Works: What Exactly is Pastrami?
home.howstuffworks.com

PBS: Jewish Cooking in America with Joan Nathan
www.pbs.org

Judaism 101: Jewish Cooking
www.jewfaq.org