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Cheesecake

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This article is about the dessert. For other uses, see Cheesecake (disambiguation).

Cheesecake
New York–style cheesecake with strawberries
TypeVarious
CourseDessert (predominantly) Savoury (eg. smoked salmon cheesecake)
Place of originAncient Greece
Main ingredientsCream cheese, sugar, pie crust (graham cracker crust, pastry, or sponge cake)

Cheesecake is a dessert made with a soft fresh cheese (typically cottage cheese, cream cheese, quark or ricotta), eggs, and sugar. It may have a crust or base made from crushed cookies (or digestive biscuits), graham crackers, pastry, or sometimes sponge cake.[1] Cheesecake may be baked or unbaked, and is usually served chilled.

Vanilla, spices, lemon, chocolate, pumpkin, or other flavors may be added to the main cheese layer. Additional flavors and visual appeal may be added by topping the finished dessert with fruit, whipped cream, nuts, cookies, fruit sauce, chocolate syrup, or other ingredients.

History

Making a crustless cheesecake (video)
South African rose cheesecake

An ancient form of cheesecake may have been a popular dish in ancient Greece even prior to Romans' adoption of it with the conquest of Greece.[2] The earliest attested mention of a cheesecake is by the Greek physician Aegimus (5th century BCE), who wrote a book on the art of making cheesecakes (πλακουντοποιικόν σύγγραμμα—plakountopoiikon sungramma).[3] The earliest extant cheesecake recipes are found in Cato the Elder's De Agri Cultura, which includes recipes for three cakes for religious uses: libum, savillum and placenta.[4][5][6] Of the three, placenta cake is the most like modern cheesecakes: having a crust that is separately prepared and baked.[7]

A more modern version called a sambocade, made with elderflower and rose water, is found in Forme of Cury, an English cookbook from 1390.[8][9] On this basis, the English chef Heston Blumenthal argues that cheesecake is an English invention.[10]

The English name cheesecake has been used only since the 15th century,[11] and the cheesecake did not evolve into its modern form until somewhere around the 18th century. Europeans began removing yeast and adding beaten eggs to the cheesecake instead. With the overpowering yeast flavor gone, the result tasted more like a dessert treat.[12] The early 19th-century cheesecake recipes in A New System of Domestic Cookery by Maria Rundell are made with cheese curd and fresh butter. One version is thickened with blanched almonds, eggs and cream, and the cakes may have included currants, brandy, raisin wine, nutmeg and orange flower water.

Modern commercial American cream cheese was developed in 1872, when William Lawrence, from Chester, New York, was searching for a way to recreate the soft, French cheese Neufchâtel. He discovered a way of making an "unripened cheese" that is heavier and creamier; other dairymen came up with similar creations independently.[13]

Modern cheesecake comes in two different types. Along with the baked cheesecake, some cheesecakes are made with uncooked cream cheese on a crumbled-cookie or graham cracker base. This type of cheesecake was invented in the United States.[8]

Culinary classification

Basque cheesecake
French cheesecake (tarte au fromage)

Modern cheesecake is not usually classified as an actual "cake", despite the name (compare with Boston cream "pie").[14][15] Some people classify it as a torte due to the usage of many eggs, which are the sole source of leavening, as a key factor.[16][17] Others find compelling evidence that it is a custard pie,[15][18] based on the overall structure, with the separate crust, the soft filling, and the absence of flour.[19][failed verification][20] Other sources identify it as a flan, or tart.[14][15][21]

Smoked salmon cheesecake is a savoury form, containing smoked salmon.[22] It is most frequently served as an appetizer or a buffet item.[23][24] A smoked salmon cheesecake was a prize-winning recipe in 1996 in Better Homes and Gardens' Prize Tested Recipe Contest. The recipe called for the use of Swiss cheese along with the more usual (for cheesecakes) ricotta.[25]

National varieties

German cheesecake (Käsekuchen)
Romanian cheesecake
Japanese no-bake cheesecake with strawberry sauce

Cheesecakes can be broadly categorized into two basic types: baked and unbaked. Some do not have a crust or base. Cheesecake comes in a variety of styles based on region:

Africa

One popular variant of cheesecake in South Africa is made with whipped cream, cream cheese, gelatin for the filling, and a buttered digestive biscuit crust. It is not baked, and is sometimes made with Amarula liqueur. This variant is very similar to British cheesecake. This cheesecake is more common in British South African communities.[26]

Asia

Japanese cheesecake, or soufflé-style or cotton cheesecake, is made with cream cheese, butter, sugar, and eggs, and has a characteristically wobbly, airy texture, similar to chiffon cake.[27] No-bake cheesecakes are known as rare cheesecake (Japanese: レアチーズケーキ).[28]

The most prominent version of cheesecake in the Philippines is ube cheesecake. It is made with a base of crushed graham crackers and an upper layer of cream cheese and ube halaya (mashed purple yam with milk, sugar, and butter). It can be prepared baked or simply refrigerated. Like other ube desserts in the Philippines, it is characteristically purple in color.[29][30][31]

Europe

Basque cheesecake, composed of burnt custard and no crust, was created in 1990 by Santiago Rivera of the La Viña restaurant in the Basque Country, Spain.[32][33] It achieved popularity online in the 2010s, helped by a recipe published by the British food writer Nigella Lawson.[33] The Spanish chef Nieves Barragán Mohacho serves hers with a liquorice sauce, which Lawson included in her recipe.[32] In 2021, Basque cheesecake was widely shared on Instagram and became "ubiquitous" in the UK.[32] In 2023, the British restaurant critic Jay Rayner complained that Basque cheesecake had become overabundant in London.[34]

Crostata di ricotta is a traditional Italian baked cheesecake made with ricotta cheese, chocolate chips and eggs.[35] Many cakes and desserts are filled with ricotta, like cassata Siciliana and pastiera Napoletana.[citation needed] The Krakow cheesecake ("sernik Krakowski") is a baked variety that uses quark or cottage cheese.[36][37] Swiss Chäschüechli (ramequin in French-speaking parts of the country) are small cheesecake tartlets, savory rather than sweet.[38][39]

North America

The United States has several different recipes for cheesecake and this usually depends on the region in which the cake is baked, as well as the cultural background of the person baking it.[40]

Chicago-style cheesecake is a baked cream cheese version that is firm on the outside with a soft and creamy texture on the inside. These cheesecakes are often made in a greased cake pan and are relatively fluffy in texture. The crust used with this style of cheesecake is most commonly made from shortbread that is crushed and mixed with sugar and butter. Some frozen cheesecakes are Chicago-style.[41]

New York–style or Jewish-style cheesecake uses a cream cheese base. Gil Marks traces the origin of the New York-style or Jewish cheesecake in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine to the 1930s, made famous in such establishments as Reuben's Restaurant and kosher-style Jewish deli Lindy's, opened by German-Jewish immigrant Leo Lindermann in 1921.[42][43][44] Earlier cheese pie recipes called for cottage cheese.[45] Cream cheese was invented in 1872 and made its way into American Jewish cuisine by 1929 according to Arnold Reuben, owner of the namesake restaurant, who claims credit for the recipe (as well as the Reuben sandwich) and is said to have won an award at the 1929 World's Fair in Barcelona. [43][46] Junior's, established by Harry Rosen in 1950, is another NY Jewish establishment famous for New York-style cheesecake.[42][47] Jewish baker in Decatur, Illinois Charles W. Lubin created the Sara Lee brand of supermarket cheesecakes and expanded into other cakes such as coffee cake, being sold in 48 states.[48]

See also

References

  1. ^ Ferguson Plarre Bakehouses. "A History of Cheesecakes". www.fergusonplarre.com.au. Archived from the original on 2013-11-24. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
  2. ^ Dana Bovbjerg, Jeremy Iggers, The Joy of Cheesecake, Barron's Educational Series, 1989
  3. ^ Callimachus, ap. Athen, xiv. p. 643, e
  4. ^ Cato the Elder, De Agri Cultura, paragraphs 75 and 76. Available in English on-line at: University of Chicago: Penelope (Note: The "leaves" mentioned in Cato's recipe are bay leaves.)
  5. ^ "Cato's 'De Agricultura': Recipes". www.novaroma.org. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
  6. ^ "Cato's 'De Agricultura': Recipes".
  7. ^ "A Bit of Food History: Cheesecake" (PDF). www.culinaryschools.com. Retrieved 2008-10-12.
  8. ^ a b Wilson, C. (2002). "Cheesecakes, Junkets, and Syllabubs". Gastronomica. 2 (4): 19. doi:10.1525/gfc.2002.2.4.19.
  9. ^ Pegge, Samuel (2014-12-11). The Forme of Cury, a Roll of Ancient English Cookery. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-108-07620-3.
  10. ^ Heston Blumenthal (2013). Historic Heston. Bloomsbury. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-4088-0441-4.
  11. ^ John., Ayto (2002). An A-Z of food and drink. Ayto, John. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0192803522. OCLC 48932542.
  12. ^ "The Rich History of a Favorite Dessert". Cheesecake.com. Retrieved 2019-01-09.
  13. ^ Stradley, Linda; Brenda (2015-05-26). "Cheesecake History". What's Cooking America. Retrieved 2023-07-15.
  14. ^ a b Davidson, Alan (2006-09-21). The Oxford Companion to Food. OUP Oxford. p. 162. ISBN 978-0-19-280681-9.
  15. ^ a b c Rosner, Helen (2017-03-02). "Sorry, Cheesecake Is Not Cake". Eater. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  16. ^ "New York Style Cheesecake – No water bath required!". Chez Grenier. 2021-03-06. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  17. ^ Womack, Cassie (2022-12-27). "Tart Vs. Torte: What's The Difference?". Tasting Table. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  18. ^ Roufs, Timothy G.; Roufs, Kathleen Smyth (2014-07-29). Sweet Treats around the World: An Encyclopedia of Food and Culture. Bloomsbury Publishing USA. ISBN 979-8-216-15204-0. Some consider baked cheesecake a cake, some a tart, some even a custard pie. Alan Davidson weighs in on the side of cheesecake being a tart, "a flat, baked item consisting of a base of pastry, or occasionally some other flour preparation, with a sweet or savoury topping not covered with a pastry lid".
  19. ^ Beranbaum, Rose Levy (1988). The cake bible (1st ed.). New York: William Morrow Cookbooks. p. 80. ISBN 978-0-688-04402-2.
  20. ^ Ngo, Hope (2023-01-17). "The Reason Cheesecake Isn't Technically Cake". Tasting Table. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  21. ^ Bender, David A. (2014-01-23). A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-251842-2. cheesecake: A flan or tart filled with curd or cream cheese.
  22. ^ Ann Kask, Salmon Cookery: From the Salmon Capital of the World, pp.20-21, Firstchoicebooks, 2002 ISBN 0919537588.
  23. ^ Carol Fenster, 1,000 Gluten-Free Recipes, p.144, John Wiley & Sons, 2008 ISBN 0470067802.
  24. ^ Susan & Enzo Ardovini, Cooking at the Cafe with Sue, p.93, Devanis Publishing, 2008 ISBN 0615233635.
  25. ^ Fuller, Kristi M., ed. (2003). Prizewinning Recipes : 200 of the Best Dishes from Better Homes and Gardens Prize Tested Recipe Contest. Meredith Books. pp. 34–35. ISBN 9780696218552.
  26. ^ "A South African Favourite: Amarula Cheesecake". The International Hotel School. August 2014. Archived from the original on 2015-02-12. Retrieved 2015-01-01.
  27. ^ Williamson, Olivia (3 September 2015). "3 ingredient cotton cheesecake: why all the hype?" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  28. ^ Yoshizuka, Setsuko (2021-05-19). "Try This Japanese-Style Rare "No-Bake" Cheesecake With Yogurt". The Spruce Eats. Archived from the original on 2018-08-08. Retrieved 2021-01-30.
  29. ^ "Ube Cheesecake". The Peach Kitchen. 5 February 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  30. ^ "Creamy and Luscious Ube Cheesecake". Woman Scribbles. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  31. ^ "Ube Cheesecake with Coconut Cookie Crust and Coconut Whipped Cream (Video)". The Unlikely Baker. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  32. ^ a b c Turnbull, Tony (2023-11-17). "Basque cheesecake: the pudding that broke the internet". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2023-11-17.
  33. ^ a b Cloake, Felicity (2021-12-01). "How to make the perfect Basque cheesecake – recipe". The Guardian. Retrieved 2022-09-10.
  34. ^ Rayner, Jay (2023-06-18). "La Gamba, London: 'A pleasing take on the Spanish repertoire' – restaurant review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-06-20.
  35. ^ Bressanin, Anna (9 June 2023). "The Italian tart that tricked the Pope". BBC. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  36. ^ "Krakow-style cheesecake (sernik Krakowski)". SBS Food.
  37. ^ "Sernik – Desserts of the World – Maverick Baking". September 4, 2022.
  38. ^ "Chäschüechli". The Helvetic Kitchen. 20 August 2021.
  39. ^ Schumacher, Boris; Schumacher, Oliver (2019). Wie Familie halt so isst: Das ehrliche Friends & Family Kochbuch. Omnino. pp. 308–9. ISBN 9783958941076.
  40. ^ Mitchell, Russ (21 November 2010). "Say Cheesecake!". CBS News. Retrieved 17 December 2010.
  41. ^ Krause, Andrew (2006). "Different Types of Cheesecake". FoodEditorials Snacks Guide.
  42. ^ a b Smith, Andrew F. (2013-11-26). New York City: A Food Biography. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4422-2713-2.
  43. ^ a b Marks, Gil (2010-11-17). Encyclopedia of Jewish Food. HMH. ISBN 978-0-544-18631-6.
  44. ^ Schwartz, Arthur R. (2008). Arthur Schwartz's Jewish Home Cooking: Yiddish Recipes Revisited. Ten Speed Press. ISBN 978-1-58008-898-5.
  45. ^ Miller, Leslie F. (2009-04-14). Let Me Eat Cake: A Celebration of Flour, Sugar, Butter, Eggs, Vanilla, Baking Powder, and a Pinch of Salt. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4165-9197-9.
  46. ^ Byrn, Anne (2016-09-06). American Cake: From Colonial Gingerbread to Classic Layer, the Stories and Recipes Behind More Than 125 of Our Best-Loved Cakes. Rodale. ISBN 978-1-62336-543-1.
  47. ^ Rosen, Alan (2007). Junior's Cheesecake Cookbook. Taunton Press.
  48. ^ Denker, Joel (2007-01-01). The World on a Plate: A Tour Through the History of America's Ethnic Cuisine. U of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-6014-6.
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