Cream cheese is arguably the most versatile of all the cheeses in many peoples' diets.
It can be used as a little touch of decadence to almost any meal, whether it be served on top of french toast at breakfast, spread over a Lox bagel at lunch, or stirred into a creamy Alfredo sauce for dinner. The options are pretty limitless. In fact, you're probably eating it right now. But how much do you actually know about cream cheese? Lemme hit you with some facts.
1. There is a whole section dedicated to Cream Cheese in the FDA Regulations Handbook.
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Sec. 133.133 of the Code of Federal Regulations regulates what the FDA defines as being 'cream cheese' (because obviously we are very serious about our cream cheese addictions, and need to make sure that it's being produced correctly). The minimum milkfat content must be 33% by weight of the finished food, and the maximum moisture content must be 55% by weight, just in case you were wondering.
2. Philadelphia is the number one cream cheese brand in the US.
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Are you even slightly surprised? Boasting the very first production of cream cheese in 1872 in New York by William Lawrence, Philadelphia has since become the best-selling cream cheese brand in the United States. You can read about the brand's full timeline here.
3. Its invention was a very happy accident
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William Lawrence was actually trying to replicate a French recipe of Neufchatel cheese and something went wrong, but actually very very right in the long run.
4. You can make it at home and it's pretty easy
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Impress everyone you know once you nail this basic recipe. You can easily make variations by adding funfetti, fresh fruit or chocolate chips. This would be a stellar personalized gift for friends and family, which would be total #browniepoints.
5. Truffle cream cheese is a thing (and did we mention we're drooling?)
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Do you have $1000 to spare on lunch? Take a visit to the Westin Hotel in Times Square and try their bagel with white truffle cream cheese and a Riesling jelly infused with goji berries, topped with gold leaf. This is the most expensive bagel in the world, for obvious reasons. So decadent, but probably oh so delicious.
6. In fact, there are a ton of wacky flavors out there...
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We are a world obsessed with food trends and cream cheese hasn't be left out of this cultural phenomenon of being subjected to exciting flavor mash-ups.
Is there anything better in this world than cream cheese? If you ask me, no.