April 23rd recognizes the food holiday National Cherry Cheesecake Day. Cookbooks and bakers offer a large variety of recipes for cherry cheesecake. Some cherry cheesecake recipes call for the cherries to be mixed into the batter and others place the cherries on top.
- Cherries on their own offer a bounty of nutrients. For example, the antioxidants in this red fruit protect cells from damage. Because cherries pack an anti-inflammatory punch, they may help reduce the risk of heart disease, too.
- History has the first recorded mention of cheesecake as being served to the athletes during the first Olympic Games held in 776 BC.
- The first “cheesecake” was created on the Greek island of Samos. Physical anthropologists excavated cheese molds there which were dated circa 2,000 BC.
- 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.
- On the “The Golden Girls,” the cast consumed more than 100 cheesecakes over the course of the TV show’s seven-year run.
- 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 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.
- It is believed that the sweet cherry originated in the area between the Black and Caspian Seas in Asia Minor around 70 B.C. The Romans introduced them to Britain in the first century A.D.
- The English colonists brought cherries to North America in the 1600’s.
- The word ‘cherry’ comes from the French word ‘cerise,’ which in turn comes from the Latin words cerasum and Cerasus, the classical name of the modern city Giresun in Turkey.
- Records indicate that cherries were a prized food in a region of China dating back to 600 BC – fit for royalty and cherished by locals.
- There are more than 1,000 varieties of cherries in the United States, but fewer than 10 are produced commercially.
- On average, there are about 44 cherries in one pound.
- In an average crop year, a sweet cherry tree will produce 800 cherries.
- While they have long been a popular dessert fruit, cherries were used for their medicinal purposes in the 15th and 16th centuries.
- Despite the short fruiting season, Americans consume an average of 1.5 pounds of cherries each year.
- However, modern cheesecake is not usually classified as a cake, despite the name. For others, the overall structure, with the separate crust, the soft filling, and the absence of flour, is compelling evidence that it is a custard pie. Other sources identify it as a flan or tart.
- 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.
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