Cheesecake is one of those desserts that inspire a quest for perfection. For centuries, people have been collecting, comparing, and cherishing their own favorite recipes for this sinfully delicious treat.

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The earliest cheesecake recipes can be traced to ancient Greece and Rome, cultures that loved the decadent life. Historians believe that cheesecake was served to athletes at the first Olympic Games in 776 B.C.E., which was probably the last time cheesecake was associated with physical fitness!

Origins of Cheesecake

These early recipes were very simple and didn't resemble the cheesecake we know and love today, but even back then, cheesecake was considered a very special treat; good enough to be given as an offering to the gods.

Thanks to the conquest-obsessed Romans, cheesecake made its way across Europe, and eventually to the Americas, where the accidental invention of cream cheese led to the modern form of the dessert and the ongoing competition among chefs to create the ultimate cheesecake.

What is the perfect cheesecake? Is it a dense, amaretto-scented Italian variety, or a smooth, citrus tinged delight? Is the best topping fruit, nuts or chocolate? All of the above?

The answer, of course, is that the beauty of cheesecake is in the eye (or rather, taste buds) of the person enjoying it.