Cream Cheese is a soft, white, spreadable cheese. It has rich taste that isn't overpowering. It is made from cream and milk. Cream Cheese is not hardened or matured, and is meant to be eaten fresh, usually within two weeks of purchase. It is often served spread on bagels or bread, and is the ingredient in many desserts, most notably Cheese Cake and Cream Cheese frosting. Cream Cheese comes in many flavors, with fruits or herbs mixed into the cheese.

Cream cheese was first made in 1872 in Chester, New York. One legend states that it was invented by accident in an attempt to create Neufchâtel. In 1880 the cheese was marketed by cheese manufacturer A.L. Reynolds who sold his cheese in aluminum foil. The cheese was marketed as "Philadelphia Cream Cheese" even though it wasn't produced in Philadelphia. It was named because the city of Philadelphia had a reputation of having high quality food. The brand was purchased by Kraft foods in 1928. Even though it is a brand name in the United States, Philadelphia is a generic name for cream cheese in some other parts of the world. In Spanish, for example, cream cheese is called Queso Filadelfia, not Queso Cremoso.

Where to buy

Cream Cheese can be purchased any grocery store in North America, and in many stores in Europe and other parts of the world.