Meryl Streep Said This No-Frills New York Classic Is The Best Sandwich

Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep has donned many character hats in her various roles over the years, from a fierce fashion magazine editor to an actress who drinks a potion to grant her eternal youth. But her most food-centric role was in the movie "Julie & Julia", where she took on the role of famed British chef Julia Child. Having portrayed the legendary chef herself, it's no surprise that Meryl Streep's favorite chicken recipe is one of Julia Child's recipes. Of course, she isn't opposed to a good sandwich, either.

In a YouTube video shared by "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," Meryl Streep joins television host and comedian Stephen Colbert online for "The Colbert Questionert," a long-running series in which interviewees are asked the same set of 15 rapid-fire questions that range from "favorite smell" to "what do you think happens when we die?" In our opinion, however, there's one question that's more important than all the rest. Streep has a brief, but decided, answer to the simple question: "What is the best sandwich?" Her single word reply is "pastrami." 

Colbert tries to get a bit more detail from Streep, asking "... on?" to which Streep replies "rye." The host responds by saying, "That's the correct answer." We have to agree with Colbert, as rye bread is the traditional and (frankly) only acceptable bread to serve beloved pastrami on. 

Although she was born in New Jersey, Meryl Streep has lived on and off in New York City over the years, so we trust her opinion on a food item that's so quintessentially New York. NYC's famous pastrami sandwich from Katz's Deli is typically served on rye bread, and we're inclined to believe that a deli serving up to 70,000 pounds of meat on a weekly basis has the pastrami sandwich down to a science. 

Traditionally, plain pastrami sandwiches are usually served on untoasted rye bread, and sometimes with a whole grain or spicy brown mustard to help cut through the rich fattiness of the seasoned meat. For those looking for a little more variety in their sandwich, a pastrami reuben is usually served hot, and includes melted Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and a generous slathering of a creamy Russian dressing (sometimes Thousand Island is used, though it lacks the sharp bite of horseradish usually found in Russian dressing). 

The next time you're assembling a pastrami sandwich at home, help ensure the structural integrity of the soft, caraway-spiced slices of bread by lightly toasting them in a pan with butter first. If, unlike Streep or patrons of Katz's Deli, you need a bit more to jazz up your plain pastrami sandwich, consider adding one of these creative toppings you never thought to put on pastrami sandwiches.