Cheesecake is the quintessential bad boy of the dessert world: beautiful without trying too hard, addicting, and with a history as mysterious as its flavor. It’s one of the most iconic sweets in the country, often created as a creamy cheese-based filling with a cookie crust and occasionally swirled or covered with chocolate or berries. While many people assume that this delectable treat originated in New York City, which is understandable given that it is the Big Apple’s hallmark dessert, tales of cheese cakes trace back to ancient Greece.
One of the oldest known recipes, dating in the first century and termed “libum,” is a long cry from the creamy cake we know today. This version, made with two pounds of “well crushed” cheese, flour, and a single egg, was molded into a loaf and cooked in a hot fire beneath a brick. A similar version with honey was offered to the first Olympic competitors as a source of energy before the games. When Rome conquered Greece, the recipe for libum was among the trophies of war. The Romans referred to their version of cheesecake, somewhat unappealingly, as “placenta.” These ancient cakes were regarded luxuries and, as such, were frequently delivered as tribute to the gods and served by the gods.
As Roman influence expanded, so did the prominence of recipes for cheesecakes. Cheesecake has appeared in a variety of shapes over the years. Some savory versions used yeast instead of eggs, while others were literally dripping in honey. After the introduction of creamy Neufchâtel cheese in France, the cheesecake we know today began to take shape. Cheesecake was brought to the New World by colonists, and in 1872, a New York dairy farmer’s attempt to duplicate this soft French cheese went haywire, culminating in the invention of what Americans now call cream cheese—and the cheesecake game was forever transformed.
Cheesecake is still available in a variety of forms today. Quark, a sour cream-like dairy product, is used to make German cheesecake. Ricotta provides the creamy basis for Italian cheesecake. Philadelphia’s is lighter and creamier than other varieties, whereas Chicago’s adds sour cream to improve the texture. Some variations need water baths, while others do not, due to the use of gelatin to solidify the top layer. The classic New York cheesecake, on the other hand, is the most widely known—and strongly supported—version of cheesecake in America.
In the 1920s, Arnold Reuben, proprietor of Reuben’s Restaurant and Delicatessen and The Turf Restaurant, is credited with inventing the New York cheesecake. His cheesecake recipe, sometimes known as Jewish cheesecake due to his ethnicity and the dish’s kosher components, was said to be a favorite among actors and actresses looking for a late-night treat after plays. Junior’s debuted in Brooklyn in 1950 and has reigned supreme among New York cheesecake manufacturers ever since. “My grandfather said, ‘If you’re going to open a restaurant in New York, you’ve got to have great cheesecake,'” Alan Rosen, Junior’s third-generation owner, explains.
Hundreds of restaurants and bakeries would follow suit throughout the years, touting their cheesecake as New York cheesecake. But what exactly does that mean? Depending on who you ask.
“New York cheesecake is pure, undiluted cheesecake,” explains Eileen Avezzano, founder and proprietor of Lower Manhattan’s legendary Eileen’s Special Cheesecake, where New Yorkers have received their sweet fix for more than 35 years. “The ingredients are traditionally cream cheese, sour cream or heavy cream, fresh eggs, lemon, vanilla, a little sugar, and a graham cracker crust.” Sour cream is prohibited in some New York cheesecake establishments, such as Junior’s. Allison Robicelli, co-owner of Robicelli’s Bakery, believes that preparation is more important than ingredients. “It must be cooked in a hot water bath.” “That is not negotiable,” she says emphatically. “Without the water bath, it will overcook.” Allison also claims that a cheesecake should sit for at least two days, ideally four, to allow it “time to age, which gives the cake the flavor.”
Perhaps more intriguing than the many variants is the cheesecake’s incorporation into popular culture. It has appeared in popular syndicated television comedies such as Friends and Golden Girls, with numerous cameos in the latter during lengthy, late-night conversations amongst the main characters. Many German women, including Blanche, Sophia, Dorothy, and Rose, selected cheesecake as the dessert of choice for their monthly Kaffeeklatsch (coffee talk) or Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake). Many Jews have even included it into their celebration of Shavuot, the remembrance of the gift of the Torah. Others argue that allusions to the “Land of Milk and Honey” in the Torah made the use of dairy products lawful, thus many people consume dairy—particularly cheesecake—to commemorate it now. We may never know the precise