By Lindy Van Schalkwyk, last updated on October 3, 2024
Today, we look at some incredibly fun facts about cheesecake. These are all fun, quirky, and fascinating. We bet we’ll teach you a thing or two today!
12 Fun Facts About Cheesecake
We frequently write about cheesecakes. How to make them, different recipes, what’s the difference, and so on. But today, we thought that we would shake things up a bit.
So, we dove deep into some fun facts about cheesecake that not a lot of people are familiar with! We have decided to break up these fun facts about cheesecake into two categories.
For all of our history-buffs, we have created a category solely focused on the culinary and historical side of cheesecake. And, if you are just here for a silly time, we have assembled some super random facts too.
So, sit back, relax, and enjoy this wild ride. We know we were certainly taken aback by some of these!
6 Culinary Fun Facts About Cheesecake
Our first category of fun facts about cheesecake focus on the culinary world of cheesecake, including its history. We found all of these quite fascinating and we must say, didn’t realize what a rich history cheesecakes have.
1. Cheesecakes are Almost 2000 Years Old!
The exact age of cheesecakes is pretty debated at this point in time. However, most can agree that they are at least 1400 years old, which dates back to Ancient Greece (12th – 9th century BC).
However, many historians claim that cheesecakes were invented in 2000 BC on the Greek Island of Samos. Either way, these desserts are still around today, making them pretty impressive.
2. Western Cheesecake is only About 200 Years old.
Despite cheesecakes being so old, the cheesecake that you know today was only invented in the late 1800s.
Willian Lawrence was from New York and invented the first cream cheese American cheesecake in 1872. Today, we will use more or less the same recipe format for New York cheesecakes.
3. There are at least 11 different types of cheesecakes.
Yes, folks, there are 11 popular types of cheesecakes. However, in actuality, there are loads more. Almost every country has its own version of a cheesecake, so the count must be inevitable.
But, 11 is a fixed number that most experts agree on as being the main type. These include no-bake, New York, Japanese cotton, Vegan, Swedish, and Roman-style to name a few.
4. Despite the Name, Cheesecake isn’t Actually a Cake.
The name cheesecake is very misleading. Many assume that it originated from the fact that this dish gets baked and is the size and shape of a regular traditional cake.
However, cheesecakes do not have remotely the same ingredient structure as cakes. Not to mention that texture, consistency, and flavor are completely different.
Cheesecakes are actually more of a baked custard than anything else. Nevertheless, changing the name at this point would be impossible!
5. Cheesecake can be Savory too.
Cheesecakes don’t just have to be sweet. They can be savory too. The first types of cheesecakes were made without any type of sweetener.
Today, especially in fine-dining or artisanal restaurants, you can find many savory cheesecakes like smoked salmon or foie gras.
6. Cheesecakes are one of the Most Versatile Baked Items out There.
Every single ingredient used for making cheesecake can be substituted with a completely different one. And we aren’t just talking about substituting sugar with a sugar alternative.
Take cream cheese as an example. You can use ricotta, mascarpone, chevin (goats cheese), brie, gorgonzola, and cottage cheese. All of these make popular alternatives for cheesecake bases.
6 Random Fun Facts About Cheesecake
Moving on to the more random list of fun facts about cheesecake. These are all much more light-hearted and can make an excellent ice breaker or conversation starter.
They might be short, but they are still incredibly fascinating!
1. The largest Cheesecake that has been Made Weighed over 9000 Pounds!
The first of our fun facts about cheesecake is that the largest cheesecake made (ever) weighed 9347.60 pounds! That’s 4240 kilograms!
To put that into comparison, the largest male hippo weighed 9900 pounds (4490 kilograms). That cheesecake is almost literally the size of a hippo!
This cheesecake was made in Russia by a company called Cheeseberry Company.
2. The most Expensive Cheesecake ever Made cost nearly $5000.
According to Guinness, the most expensive cheesecake was sold for $4592.42. It was made and sold by Raffaela Ronca in New York on 30 October 2017. It took roughly 5 days to complete.
This cheesecake contains lavish ingredients like buffalo ricotta, white truffle, and real gold leaves.
3. The entire Cheesecake Factory range will Cost you $400.
The Cheesecake Factory is known for its wide range of flavors. If you were to buy every one of their 33 flavor options, it would set you back nearly $400.
Is it worth it? We would say so. But maybe throughout a couple of months.
4. There are Cheesecake-flavored Postage labels for sale.
Haagen-Dazs once created a range of flavored postage labels that included strawberry cheesecake, macadamia nut brittle, and cookies and cream.
Strange, but we won’t lie, we’d probably buy into something like that!
5. There are 5 different National Cheesecake days in the United States.
The official national cheesecake day is on 30 July every year. However, that didn’t stop companies and cheesecake lovers from creating 4 others to celebrate specific popular flavors.
For example, national pumpkin cheesecake day is on 21 October of every year.
So, go have a look to see if your favorite flavor has a celebratory day of its own!
6. On “The Golden Girls”, 100 Cheesecakes were Eaten.
Over the span of the 7 years that “The Golden Girls” were filmed, over 100 cheesecakes were eaten! Now, according to inside sources, these cheesecakes were only consumed by the cast. So, who knows what the number is for the rest of the crew!
Wrapping It Up – the Best Fun Facts About Cheesecake
We are sure that you have learned a couple of new fun facts about cheesecake. Now, you can share these with your family and friends and hopefully get a chuckle or two out of them.
We hope that you have enjoyed this article. Have a look at our website to check out some other amazing cheesecake-related content.
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Lindy Van Schalkwyk is a culinary specialist with a background in Advanced Cooking, Advanced Pâtisserie, Media Communications and Nutrition. She has gained invaluable experience in the culinary industry having worked in some of the top restaurants in Africa in 2016 and 2017. Her expertise in nutrition has enabled her to develop recipes for special dietary needs. In 2018, Lindy began working in the Food Media industry, focusing on recipe development, recipe writing, food writing and food styling.