If you think that cheesecake is cheesecake, then you're either not a baker or have been living under a rock for your whole life. There are more kinds of cheesecake than Carter has liver pills, and he's got plenty of them to go around. We're not going to cover every type and style of cheesecake in this article but just try to give you some idea of why a cheesecake is not just a cheesecake.

Cheesecake is one of the most common and popular desserts in the world today. It is also one of the most oldest made from a dairy product other than milk. Cheesecakes can be made of ricotta cheese, havarti, quark, twarg, or more usually, cream cheese. Other ingredients such as sugar, eggs, cream and fruit are often mixed in, too. This is the reason why there are so many types of cheesecakes because the number of recipes you can come up with are virtually unlimited.

So what styles of cheesecakes are there? Below are just a few with a brief description of each.
There is the good old American style cheese cake. These are usually made from cream cheese, which was invented in 1872. After James Kraft invented this type of cheese, it became the top product for making cheesecake in America.
New York style cheese cake is a little different. It also uses cream cheese but relies on heavy cream, eggs, and egg yolks in addition to the cream cheese to add a richness and smooth consistency. New York style cheesecake is also called Jewish style cheesecake. It's baked in a special 5 to 6 inch springform pan.

Then there is Chicago style cheese cake. This is another cream cheese version that has been made popular by Eli's Cheesecake. This style of cream cheese cake is firm on the outside and creamy inside. People from Chicago claim there is none better. Naturally.
Pennsylvania Dutch style cheesecake gets its taste from a tangy kind of cottage cheese. These cheese has larger curds and less water content. This type of cottage cheese is called pot or farmer's cheese.
Sour cream cheesecake is said to have come from the United States some time in the mid 20th century. It still used cream cheese but no heavy cream in the recipe. It is mostly used for making cheesecakes that are outside of the New York style. It can actually be frozen for short periods of time without ruining the texture.

Roman style cheesecake uses honey and a ricotta-like cheese along with flour and is traditionally shaped into loaves. Some recipes use bay leaves as a preservative. It is still baked in certain areas of Rome that kept cooking traditions after the fall of Rome.
French style cheesecakes are very light. They use gelatin as the main binding ingredient and are usually only about 1 to 2 inches in height. This cheesecake gets its light texture from a cheese found in the outdoor markets in the south of France and in fine pastry shops in Paris.
This list is by no means exhaustive, but it will give you a good start on your search for the cheesecake that YOU think is the best.