Cream cheese

Cream cheese is a soft, rich, mild-tasting white cheese usually sold in brick form, or in a small tub-like container. Cream cheese differs from other cheese in that it is not allowed time to mature and is meant to be consumed fresh. It is a primary ingredient in the dessert cheesecake, and is often spread on bagels and eaten with lox. Cream cheese is sometimes an ingredient in frosting to give the frosting a richer flavor.

According to the food manufacturer Kraft, "Cream cheese originated in the United States in 1872 when a dairyman in Chester, New York, developed a "richer cheese than ever before," made from cream as well as whole milk. Then in 1880, a New York cheese distributor, A. L. Reynolds, first began distributing cream cheese wrapped in tin-foil wrappers, calling it Philadelphia Brand." The cheese was inspired by the French cheese Neufchâtel.

See also: Dairy product