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New York Cheesecake

FScN 3615 Socio-cultural Aspects of Food, Nutrition, and Health

Katie Ask
3/6/2013

[Type the abstract of the document here. The abstract is typically a short summary of the contents of the document. Type the abstract of the document here. The abstract is typically a short summary of the contents of the document.]

Hedy Lamarr an Austrian-American Actress once said just because you dont live near a bakery doesnt mean you need to go without cheesecake. With an increasing global market this statement has never been more accurate. The Cheesecake Factory in currently the worlds largest chain restaurant specializing in serving up this decadent dessert. With over one hundred and twenty one locations just in the United States alone the Cheesecake Factory serves more than 80 million people a year, and has an impressive total of more than 30 different types of cheesecakes on their menu.1 From the Minnesota State Fair serving deep fried cheesecake on a stick to frozen cheesecake bites which you can purchase at your local grocery story cheesecake has become a widely accessible food, but it did not always used to be that way. So how exactly did this delicious dessert become so popular? The history of New York cheesecake has a very interesting past and with new food technologies it is sure to have a promising future. The history of Cheesecake dates all of the way back to circa 2,000 B.C on the Greek island of Samos. 2 The first known documented recipe for cheese cake was created by Athenaeus around 230A.D..2 This recipe was very different from what the modern day New York Cheesecake consists of. This recipe included flour, wheat, honey and cheese. Although it was a very simple recipe this food had important cultural significance even back then. There is strong evidence that the Greeks believed cheesecake was a good source of energy and was served at the first Olympic games in 776 B.C..3 It was also not unusual around this time period for Greek weddings to use cheesecake as their wedding cake. As history continued to play out the Romans eventually Conquered the Greeks, the Cheesecake recipe was just one of the traditional Greek recipes that lived on. The Romans put their own twists and modifications on the recipe. Some of the biggest changes consisted of adding crushed cheese and eggs. The first Roman recipe was documented by Marcus Cato in the

first century B.C..3 The Romans loved their Cheese pastry so much they even had a special name for it, the libuma or Placenta. 4 It got this name from the amorphous oval like shape it represents. Like with the Greeks cheesecake also had a large cultural significance to the Romans. These cakes were often given as offering to the Roman gods and more specifically the god of Jupiter.4 throughout history wherever the Romans went the delicious dessert recipe followed them being slightly modified by the new cultural influences of that area. By 1000 A.D. cheesecake was becoming a popular dessert and prospering throughout England, France, and greater Europe.5 Although Cheesecake dates back all the way to circa 2,000B.C it wasnt until the 18th century that it began to resemble something that the average American would classify as cheesecake. When Immigrants stated to travel from Europe they brought their cheesecake recipes with them and those recipes made their first appearances in New York. As time in the new world continued so did the history of the cheese cake. In 1929 Arnold Reuben, owner of the legendary Turf Restaurant at 49th and Broadway in New York City, claimed that his family developed the first cream-cheese cake recipe. According to legend, he was served a cheese pie in a private home, and he fell in love with the dessert. Reuben soon began to serve his new recipe in his Turf Restaurant, and the cheesecake quickly became very popular with the people who frequented Reubens Broadway restaurant. 4 Soon after every popular restaurant was making their own version of New York Cheesecake. According to New Yorkers, only the great cheesecake makers are located in New York, and the great cheesecake connoisseurs are also in New York, New Yorkers say that cheesecake wasn't really cheesecake until it was cheesecake in New York. 6 So what makes New York Cheesecake different from the other types of cheesecake discussed earlier?

The Main difference between European style cheesecakes and New York Cheesecake is the type of cheese it is made with. In France they used Neufchatel and in the United States we used Cream Cheese. Cream cheese was originally invented in the New York when a dairyman was attempting to recreate Neufchatel cheese and accidentally made a lighter richer and creamier. In New York it was also common practice to use beaten eggs instead of yeast to raise cakes and pastries. New York Cheesecake can either be baked or refrigerated. The main difference is the latter recipe doesnt include eggs. The classic cheesecake recipe typically contains cream cheese, either sour or heavy cream, vanilla, lemon juice and sugar. The mixture is poured into a pre-baked crust, most popularly made out of graham crackers10. These two very distinct differences made cheesecake a very popular dessert in New York and the United as a whole. As this dish became more popular it started to expand across the United States. Each area of the country put its own spin on this popular dish. For example In Chicago, sour cream is added to the recipe to keep it creamy, Philadelphia cheesecake is known for being lighter and creamier and St. Louis, they enjoy a gooey butter cake, which has an additional layer of cake topping on the cheesecake filling.7 Additionally if you travel around the world you can find different variations of this classic dessert 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.8 Since this dish was introduced in the United States it has become popular both in restaurants and as a food that families can buy at the store and prepare at home. As mentioned earlier in the paper one example of finding cheesecake in restaurants is at the Cheesecake Factory. Serving over 80million people a year at their one hundred and twenty one locations this truly shows that Americans find this a popular dessert item. As time continued

the country started to steer away from the traditional cheesecake recipe. The Cheesecake Factory Illustrates this best offering over thirty different flavors, including chocolate, cookies and cream, red velvet and many more. Cheesecake has become such a popular dessert in the United States that it even has a calendar day to celebrate it. National Cheesecake day is July 30th. Some peoples love for cheesecake has even resulted in world records. The largest cheesecake weighed 2,133.5 kg (4,703 lbs) and was made by Philadelphia Kraft Foods Mexico, at the Universidad del Claustro de Sor Juana, in Mexico DF, Mexico, on 25 January 2009.The cheesecake had a diameter of 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) and a height of 56 cm (1 ft 10 in). 800 kgs (1,763 lbs) of cheese, 100 kgs (220 lbs) of strawberries and 800 kgs (1,763 lbs) of yogurt were used for the cake.9

It is easy to see that cheesecake is a popular dessert and now that the past has been examined where is Cheesecake going in the future? There are currently two new more modern forms mini cheesecakes that you can buy in the grocery store for individuals who would like to watch their weight but still enjoy a piece of dessert, these cheesecakes will have the amount of calories a normal slice of cheesecake would, and the other form is cheesecake pops. Cheesecake pops (like a cake pop) are a more modern form of the desert and can easily be used at parties or for entertaining. As seen throughout the paper just because you dont live near a bakery doesnt mean you need to go without cheesecake. As this food continues to grow in popularity both in the United States and around the world it will be interesting to see the different types of flavors that are developed. Also with and increasing demand to bet thin the new smaller portions of

cheesecake with help individuals watch their diet and also enjoy a great creamy dessert, Because lets be honest THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR DESSERT!

Work Cited
1. IBM News room - 2013-02-26 The Cheesecake Factory Tackles Big Data with IBM Analytics for an Exceptional Brand Experience - United States. Available at: http://www03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/40436.wss. Accessed March 6, 2013. History Of Cheesecake. Available at: http://www.cheesecake.com/History-Of-Cheesecake.asp. Accessed March 6, 2013. History of Cheesecake, Cheesecakre History, History of New York Cheesecake, History Cream Cheese. Available at: http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/Cakes/Cheesecake.htm. Accessed March 6, 2013. Eat Like a Roman, Part 4: Baking Placenta: Food + Cooking: gourmet.com. Available at: http://www.gourmet.com/food/2008/10/eat-like-a-roman-pastry. Accessed March 6, 2013. Our Story. Available at: http://www.thecheesecakefactory.com/aboutus/ourstory/ourstory. Accessed March 6, 2013. In Cheesecake City, a Quest for the Best - New York Times. Available at: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/17/dining/in-cheesecake-city-a-quest-for-thebest.html?pagewanted=1. Accessed March 6, 2013. Thank the Greeks for cheesecake - SFGate. Available at: http://www.sfgate.com/recipes/article/Thank-the-Greeks-for-cheesecake-2802621.php. Accessed March 6, 2013. Dana Bovbjerg, Jeremy Iggers. The Joy of Cheesecake. Barrons Educational Series; 1989. Largest cheesecake. Available at: http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/worldrecords/3000/largest-cheesecake. Accessed March 6, 2013. National cheesecake day Eatocracy - CNN.com Blogs. Available at: http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2012/07/30/national-cheesecake-day/. Accessed March 6, 2013.

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