With its sweet aroma and fresh-baked goodness, you can find cheesecakes in most, if not all, bakeries. From New York Cheesecake to Caramel Cheesecake– you can find this delicious dessert in various flavours all around the world.
What are Cheesecakes?
It’s a sweetened dessert consisting of one or more layers. The most important layer would be the cheesy layer made of soft, fresh cream cheese or ricotta, sugar and eggs.
Usually, there is a bottom layer made of crushed cookies, digestive biscuits, pastry, graham crackers, etc. Cheesecakes can be baked or unbaked.
However, the New York cheesecake does not originate from the bustling city itself. To know better, we have to dig deeper into the history of cheesecakes as a whole.
Cheesecake History
The cheesecake was probably invented on the Greek island of Samos. Earliest entries regarding this dessert were by Greek physician Aegimus in his book elaborating the art of making cheesecakes. People also believed this delicious dessert to be a powerful source of energy for athletes, as they were served this delicacy during the first-ever Olympics.
Besides that, in Cato, the Elder’s De Agri Cultura, three cheesecake recipes were found for religious uses. Namely libum, savilum and placenta. Amongst the three, the placenta was the most similar to how modern cheesecakes are prepared.
However, there are claims that the English were the ones who created the cheesecake instead. As a modern cheesecake recipe was found in the English cookbook, Forme of Cury, published in 1390.
The term ‘cheesecake’ was not used until the 15th century, but the modern cheesecake did not evolve into its current form until the 18th century. Only then did people start to remove yeast from the cheesecake mix. And with the overpowering yeast flavour gone, cheesecakes began to taste like dessert.
Although the real origin of the cheesecake is murky, we can say that whoever invented the cheesecake was a genius.
New York Cheesecake
Arnold Reuben is credited for the creation of the New York Cheesecake, a pure cheesecake with no other fancy ingredients to top.
Reuben was the owner of the Turf Restaurant in New York City. Born in Germany but migrated to the States at a young age, he was served a cheese pie during a party. He was so engrossed with it that he experimented with the recipe the restaurant had used. This led to his fascination with cheese desserts, allowing him to invent the famous New York cheesecake when he was older.
Avid Cheesecake Lover?
If you’re an avid cheesecake lover, you should give these bakeries a try for their variety of cheesecakes.
Wmart/Wbakery, Cat & The Fiddle Cakes and Tedboy Bakery are the go-to for New York cheesecakes. But don’t forget! You can order via foodpanda too! The foodpanda app offers a variety of desserts and snacks and delivers them straight to your doorstep.