Ancient Greece gave such things as democracy, art, philosophy and the list goes on and on. But did you that they also gave us one of the most popular desserts we take for granted today?

We are talking about the cheesecake. Yes, that’s right. Despite the widespread perception that the scrumptious dessert was invented in northern Europe and travelled to America with the European migration and settled in New York, hence the famous baked New York cheesecake, it was, in fact, first made in the Mediterranean.

The Athenian Naukratitis, in his work Deipnosofistai, recorded the first recipe for cheesecake in 230 AD, as a dessert served at weddings. This is the oldest known surviving Greek recipe. The recipe itself was pretty simple: pound the cheese until it is smooth mix it in a brass pan with honey and spring wheat flour, heat the cheesecake “in one mass”, allow to cool, then serve.

According to some sources, in ancient Greece, a cheesecake was served to the athletes at the first Olympic games in 776 B.C. to provide them with energy.

When Romans conquered Greece, they modified the cheesecake recipe by adding crushed cheese and eggs, and they served it warm. They called their cheesecake “libuma” and served it on special occasions. Eventually, the recipe spread to Northern and Eastern Europe. Locals began to experiment, with every region using its native ingredients to put their own unique spin on cheesecake.

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