Nowadays there are many different kinds of cheesecake recipes, but the ingredients are what make it different from any other dessert. Cheesecake is made up of bread crumbs and lots of cream cheese (hence the name Cheese Cake). Cheesecake is a beloved dessert nationwide. Many think that it origins in New York but it actually goes back even farther. It starts in ancient Greece 4,000 years ago.
The first "Cheese Cake" was created on the Island of Samos. Cheese and cheese products had most likely been around for thousands of years before this, but earlier than this goes into prehistory so we don't really know. In Greece, cheesecake was considered to be a good source of energy, and there is evidence that it was served to athletes during the first Olympic games in 776 B.C. Greek brides and grooms were also known to use cheesecake as a wedding cake. It was made up of flour, wheat, honey and cheese. Theses ingredients are also used in the cheesecakes that we make today.
With the Roman conquest of Greece, the secret fell into Roman hands. It was called "libum" by the Romans, and were often used as an offering at their temples to their gods. They modified the cheesecake including crushed cheese and eggs. These ingredients were baked under a hot brick and it was served warm. Occasionally, the Romans would put the cheese filling in a pastry. Marcus Cato, a Roman politician in the first century B.C., is credited as recording the oldest known Roman cheesecake recipe. As the Romans started to expand their empire, they brought cheesecake recipes to the Europeans.
The Europeans started to experiment on different ways to make the cheesecake better. In each country of Europe, the recipes started taking on different cultural shapes, using ingredients native to each region. In 1545, the first cookbook was printed. It described the cheesecake as a flour-based sweet food. This chef started to soak cheese into into very small pieces and soaked those pieces in milk for three hours. Then, he strained the mixture and added eggs, butter and sugar. It wasn't till the 18th century when the cheesecake started to look like what we eat today. Around this time, Europeans began to use beaten eggs instead of yeast to make their breads and cakes rise. Removing the overpowering yeast flavor made cheesecake taste more like a dessert treat. When Europeans came to America, some brought their cheesecake recipes along.
Americans were the ones who started to add cream cheese to the mixture. After a new York dairy farmer wanted to replicate the French cheese Neufchatel. Instead, he accidentally discovered a process which resulted in the creation of cream cheese. So after a couple of years cream cheese finally started to be wrapped in foil and sold to consumers. The Philadelphia Cream Cheese brand was purchased in 1903 by the Phoenix Cheese Company, and then it was purchased in 1928 by the Kraft Cheese Company.
The Classic New York style cheesecake is served with just the cake. Which means there was no fruit or toppings on it yet. By the 1900s, New Yorkers were in love with this dessert. Virtually every restaurant had its own version of cheesecake on their menu. New Yorkers have vied for bragging rights for having the original recipe ever since. In Chicago, sour cream is added to the recipe to keep it creamy. Meanwhile, Philadelphia cheesecake is known for being lighter and creamier than New York style cheesecake and it can be served with fruit or chocolate toppings.Italians use ricotta cheese, while the Greeks use mizithra or feta. Germans prefer cottage cheese, while the Japanese use a combination of cornstarch and egg whites. There are specialty cheesecakes that include blue cheese, seafood, spicy chilies and even tofu!
Now here in the United States you can see one of the most known restaurants here named after cheesecake called 'The Cheesecake Factory" .The Cheesecake Factory story begins in Detroit, Michigan in the 1940’s. Evelyn Overton found a recipe in the local newspaper that would inspire her “Original” Cheesecake. Everyone loved her recipe so much that she decided to open a small Cheesecake shop, but she eventually gave up her dream of owning her own business in order to raise her two small children, David and Renee. She moved her baking equipment to a kitchen in her basement and continued to supply cakes to several of the best restaurants in town while raising her family.
The company currently operates 146 dining restaurants under The Cheesecake Factory name in 34 states and the District of Columbia. The restaurants are characterized by extensive menus, custom décor, and large portions. David M. Overton, the company's founder, opened the first Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Beverly Hills, California, in 1978. The restaurant established the future chain's pattern of offering an eclectic menu, big portions, and signature cheesecakes.
The Classic New York style cheesecake is served with just the cake. Which means there was no fruit or toppings on it yet. By the 1900s, New Yorkers were in love with this dessert. Virtually every restaurant had its own version of cheesecake on their menu. New Yorkers have vied for bragging rights for having the original recipe ever since. In Chicago, sour cream is added to the recipe to keep it creamy. Meanwhile, Philadelphia cheesecake is known for being lighter and creamier than New York style cheesecake and it can be served with fruit or chocolate toppings.Italians use ricotta cheese, while the Greeks use mizithra or feta. Germans prefer cottage cheese, while the Japanese use a combination of cornstarch and egg whites. There are specialty cheesecakes that include blue cheese, seafood, spicy chilies and even tofu!
Now here in the United States you can see one of the most known restaurants here named after cheesecake called 'The Cheesecake Factory" .The Cheesecake Factory story begins in Detroit, Michigan in the 1940’s. Evelyn Overton found a recipe in the local newspaper that would inspire her “Original” Cheesecake. Everyone loved her recipe so much that she decided to open a small Cheesecake shop, but she eventually gave up her dream of owning her own business in order to raise her two small children, David and Renee. She moved her baking equipment to a kitchen in her basement and continued to supply cakes to several of the best restaurants in town while raising her family.
The company currently operates 146 dining restaurants under The Cheesecake Factory name in 34 states and the District of Columbia. The restaurants are characterized by extensive menus, custom décor, and large portions. David M. Overton, the company's founder, opened the first Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Beverly Hills, California, in 1978. The restaurant established the future chain's pattern of offering an eclectic menu, big portions, and signature cheesecakes.
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