Blueberries are a classic fruit, and cheesecakes are a classic dessert. Both of these foods can be enjoyed separately and still deliver a lot of joy to the person eating them. However, when you combine these two great foods into one dessert, you have something that’s unimaginably delectable and delightful. You have a dessert that’s not out of place on any menu or any dessert tray. It’s a dessert so good, it has been given its own holiday called National Blueberry Cheesecake Day. This holiday, observed annually on May 26th, gives everyone a good excuse to serve blueberry cheesecake and wow their friends and family.

The History of Blueberry Cheesecake

Before we begin, we should probably start this section by defining what we mean by cheesecake. That will make it easier for all of us to figure out when blueberry cheesecake may have first started. According to most definitions, cheesecakes are basically baked custards made from a combination of soft cheese, eggs, sugar, and flavorings that are placed on top of a pastry base.

It’s believed that the first cheesecakes were created during the 5th century B.C. by the ancient Greeks. These rudimentary cheesecakes were called plakous—a word meaning “flat mass”—and they were made of fresh cheese that was smoothed out and pounded with honey and flour. They were then cooked on an earthenware pan. Although it doesn’t sound much like a modern cheesecake, it still has all the ingredients to be considered one by most culinary historians.

During the 14th century, the first English cookbook to list a “cheesecake-like” food was The Forme of Cury. In this cookbook were two cheese tarts: Sambocade—made from egg whites, rosewater, elderflowers, and curd cheese, and Tart de Bry—a tart made from soft autumn cow cheese, ground ginger, and egg yolks. From 1390 on, every cookbook had some cheesecake recipe for people to try out.

Now that we’ve determined when cheesecake was developed, we have to determine when blueberries were added to cheesecake, and this is a bit more difficult to ascertain. According to some sources, blueberries were first added to Greek cheesecakes for the Olympic games, so that’s probably when the first rudimentary blueberry cheesecake was invented. As for more modern blueberry cheesecake recipes, those were probably created sometime during the Middle Ages.

Quick Facts About Blueberries

Okay, now that we know where blueberry cheesecake came from, it’s time to delve a little bit deeper into blueberries. Blueberries are an amazing berry that has been enjoyed by humans for thousands of years, so let’s take a closer look at them.

• Blueberries were called “star berries” by Native Americans.
• National Blueberry Pie Day falls on April 28th.
• Michigan produces over 100 million pounds of blueberries every year.
• One blueberry bush can produce up to 6,000 blueberries per year.
• Humans have enjoyed blueberries for over 12,000 years.
• One-half cup of blueberries provides 44 calories and 2 grams of dietary fiber.

Observing National Blueberry Cheesecake Day

National Blueberry Cheesecake Day can be observed by baking or buying a blueberry cheesecake. While you’re enjoying this delicious dessert, be sure to use the hashtag #NationalBlueberryCheesecakeDay to let everyone know that you’re enjoying this iconic dessert.