Philadelphia

Philadelphia is a cream cheese brand and one of the oldest cheese brands in the world. In most countries, including Europe, it is owned by Mondelez International; in the United States and Canada it belongs to The Kraft Heinz Company.

According to the brand, in 1872 William Lawrence made his first cream cheese in New York, and in 1880 named it Philadelphia after the city then known for quality food. In 1903 the Phenix Cheese Company bought the trademark; in the 1920s the cheese got aluminium foil packaging, and in 1928 Phenix merged with Kraft. Philadelphia reached Europe in the 1960s, and flavoured varieties followed in the 1980s.

Cream cheese is a fresh soft cheese made from milk and cream without ripening. The main ranges are Philadelphia Original, the classic tub (also a brick in the US); Philadelphia Light with 40% less fat; flavoured versions such as Garlic & Herbs or Chive & Onion; and whipped spreads in the US. The Plant-Based line is not cheese. For the US, Kraft Heinz says milk and cream come from farms in Wisconsin and upstate New York.

Philadelphia is spread on bagels and toast, stirred into pasta sauces and fillings, and is best known as the base of New York cheesecake.

Why it matters to you: Philadelphia is a brand; the cheese type is cream cheese, so in recipes you can use another cream cheese of the same fat level.