Cheesecake is a local food favorite from The Big Apple, but it's not the cheesecake you are used to. Instead, new Yorkers like their cheesecakes smooth, rich, and dense. The thick, creamy texture of a NYC cheesecake is why native New Yorkers enjoy it without any sides or toppings.

A Brief History of Cheesecake

From where did cheesecake originate? NYC is famous for its hearty version of this favorite local food, but they can't take credit for giving it to the world.

To find out where cheesecake first originated, we have to go back around 4,000 years to Ancient Greece. Excavations dated around circa 2,000 B.C in Samos are the earliest record of cheese being made.

In reality, we may never really know when humans first discovered cheese making, but we know that Ancient Greek brides used cheesecake as a wedding cake, which they created from a simple flour, honey, wheat, and cheese recipe.

The Romans eventually conquered Greece and improved the cheesecake recipe with the addition of crushed cheese and eggs. Unfortunately, these relatively simple precursors to the modern cheesecake were a far cry from the taste sensation New Yorkers can enjoy.

Americans were the first ones to stumble upon the idea of using cream cheese in their cheesecakes, which soon became a staple ingredient the best NYC cheesecake can't do without.

While impossible to verify, Arnold Reuben, a German immigrant, is credited with creating the first NYC-style cheesecake.

After getting served a cheese pie at a party, he was so fascinated with the dish that he experimented until he discovered the perfect combination of ingredients, and the favorite NYC local food dessert was born.

By the 1900s, almost every restaurant in NYC had developed its own signature version of the favorite local food, with many of them claiming to be the best NYC cheesecake around.

While every country has its own take on cheesecake, the signature NYC cheesecake flavor is created by the extra egg yolks, heavy cream, and vanilla in the cream cheesecake mix.

So, when next you are in NYC, don't forget to try a slice of their favorite local food dessert. We are sure you will love the hearty texture and flavor of a NYC original recipe cheesecake.

Tags: New York Cheesecake,local food NYC,local sweets in NYC,Food,Dishware,Cake,Tableware