No fake cheesecake

The oldest recorded recipe (around 160 BC) was for a type of cake eaten during religious celebrations in Greece, which contained goat cheese and in no way resembles our modern version. Fast forward to 1390 when an English cookbook had an early chef named Heston Blumenthal insist that cheesecake is an English invention, and it very well could be; But whichever country takes the credit, no one like the Americans has elevated it to its current art form. When cream cheese was first developed in 1872, a New Yorker was looking for a way to recreate the smooth and delicious cheese called Neufchâtel that he had eaten in England and France, and came up with a method to make an “unripened cheese” that was heavier and creamier. Along with other dairymen, William Chester began mass-producing it under the name Philadelphia Cream Cheese and ushered in the current versions.

Basically, cheesecake comes in two different types: baked and no-bake, and both have their merits:

++ New York-style cheesecake is based on heavy or sour cream, is rich, and has a thick, smooth consistency that is likely to be found in high-end restaurants and bean delicatessens;

++ Chicago style is a baked version that is firm on the outside with a softer texture on the inside; the crust used is usually made from shortbread or graham crackers, crushed and mixed with sugar and butter; frozen cheesecakes tend to be called Chicago style (can you say Sara Lee?);

The foodie city of Chicago is home to the two largest cheesecake makers in the country, Sara Lee and Eli’s:

++ Cream Cheesecake Sara Lee put this dessert on the map with her original cream cheesecake. In 1949, a bakery owner named Charles Lubin pioneered the frozen food business when he invented a high-quality cream cheese cake for sale in supermarkets and restaurants. He named the cheesecake after his daughter, Sara Lee. Lubin’s product was so successful that just two years later, in 1951, she opened Sara Lee’s Kitchens and began adding other items to her bakery line. In the early 1950s the aluminum foil skillet was introduced which allowed you to bake, quick freeze and sell your products in the same container;

++ Eli’s Cheesecake (1980) is also based in Chicago. Eli’s Original Plain Cheesecake, which has been called “Chicago’s most famous dessert,” is made of cream cheese, sour cream, eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a shortbread crust; originally served exclusively at Ei’s restaurant on the north side; Its popularity eventually resulted in Eli Shulman starting to produce and sell the cake domestically and continues to gain more market share annually. Eli’s has prepared cheesecakes for four US presidential inaugurations. In both 1993 and 1997, it earned £ 2,000 for Bill Clinton’s inauguration ceremonies, as well as birthdays and special events for numerous celebrities, and is a popular Oprah dessert (no wonder); Debuting at the first Taste of Chicago in 1980, he has had a starring role in all of them ever since.

Cheesecake Factory Restaurants – opened in the Los Angeles area (1978) and now have more than 200 locations nationwide; Not known for their low calorie cuisine, they offer 35 different flavors of cheesecake, one more decadent than the other and are a living testament to the popularity of this dessert.

Hundreds of countries have their own unique versions with different ingredients and presentations, but the United States is still the king of the mountain and shows no signs of stopping their love story. If eaten in moderation, they can be enjoyed all year round; If you eat in large quantities, well, you can leave your cardiologist in the latest Mercedes model. But have a fork, a good cup of coffee, and enjoy. You only live once.