Cheesecakes Were Served To Athletes At The First Olympic Games In 776 B.C. To Give Them Energy.

National Cheesecake Day on July 30th offers a slice of one of America’s favorite desserts. Order up a slice of cheesecake with your favorite topping. Get it delivered or make it at home.

• The first “cheese cake” may have been created on the Greek island of Samos. Physical anthropologists excavated cheese molds which were dated circa 2,000 B.C.
• It is possible that an ancient form of cheesecake may have been a popular dish in ancient Greece.  It has been found that the earliest attested mention of a cheesecake is by Greek physician Aegimus, who wrote a book on the art of making cheesecakes.
• We may be able to credit the ancient Greeks with creating this delicious dessert. The oldest written recipe for cheesecake has been traced back to Greek physician Athenaeus.
• James Kraft developed a form of pasteurized cream cheese in 1912.  In 1928, Kraft acquired the Philadelphia trademark and marketed pasteurized Philadelphia Cream Cheese. Today, cheesecake makers use this brand more than any other.
• A cheesecake (at least an American-style cheesecake) is not a cake; it’s a baked cheese custard pie with a crust. The uncooked custard filling is poured into a crust and then baked.
• It is believed that cheesecakes were served to athletes competing during the first Olympic games in 776 B.C. to give them energy.
• Modern commercial American cream cheese was developed in 1872, when William Lawrence, from Chester, New York, while looking for a way to recreate the soft, French cheese Neufchâtel, accidentally came up with a way of making an “unripened cheese” that is heavier and creamier; other dairymen came up with similar creations independently.
• Even though he is best known for his signature sandwiches, Arnold Reuben (1883-1970) is generally credited for creating the New York Style cheesecake. Reuben was born in Germany and he came to America when he was young. The story goes that Reuben was invited to a dinner party where the hostess served a cheese pie. Allegedly, he was so intrigued by this dish that he experimented with the recipe until he came up with the beloved NY Style cheesecake.
• Greek brides and grooms were also known to use cheesecake as a wedding cake. It also became a custom for a Greek bride to bake and serve cheesecakes to her new husband’s friends as a gesture of hospitality. Incidentally, this concept eventually paved the way for wedding cakes to become a tradition that continues today.
• The Cheesecake Factory, Inc. is an American restaurant company and distributor of cheesecakes based in the United States. It is one of the most popular chain restaurants in the US. In total, there are more than 200 locations. The Cheesecake Factory is known for its extensive menu, which is nearly 6,000 words long and lists more than 250 items.
• The price of ordering the whole Cheesecake Factory cheesecake line-up is almost $400.
• The most expensive cheesecake sold for $4,592.42 (£3,496.44; 3,955.57€) and was made by chef Raffaele Ronca (USA) at Ristorante Rafele in New York, NY, USA on October 30, 2017. The cheesecake included ingredients such as buffalo ricotta, white truffle, and gold leaves.
• The largest cheesecake weighed 4,240 kg (9,347.60 lb) and was created by Cheeseberry Company (Russian Federation), in Stavropol, Russian Federation, on 23 September 2017. The cake measured 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in) in diameter, and 0.85 m (2 ft 9 in) tall.
• On the “The Golden Girls,” the cast consumed more than 100 cheesecakes over the course of the TV show’s seven-year run.
• Cheesecake Kit Kats exist, and you can actually by them on Amazon Prime. Here’s the link.
• Styles of Cheesecakes:
  • Pennsylvania Dutch-style cheesecake uses a slightly tangy type of cheese with larger curds and less water content, called pot or farmer’s cheese.
  • Philadelphia-style cheesecake is lighter in texture, yet richer in flavor than New York style cheesecake.
  • Farmer’s cheese cheesecake is the contemporary implementation for the traditional use of baking to preserve fresh cheese and is often baked in a cake form along with fresh fruit like a tart.
  • Country-style cheesecake uses buttermilk to produce a firm texture while decreasing the pH (increasing acidity) to extend shelf life.
  • Lactose free cheesecake may be made either with lactose-free cream cheese or as an imitation using Vegan recipes combining non-dairy cream cheese alternatives with other lactose-free ingredients.

Sources:

National Day Calendar

Foodimentary

Mobile-Cuisine

Food Beast

Just Fun Facts