New York's Cream Cheese Gets Its Creaminess From An Unexpected Ingredient

If you've ever been to New York, you won't be surprised to see a line at the deli on Saturday and Sunday mornings. From the tip of Long Island to the deepest borough of Manhattan, even way upstate, every New Yorker knows how to spot a good bagel. Not the ones you buy pre-packaged, and definitely not the ones that have been sitting on a shelf all week, but the ones fresh out of the oven, from a crowded counter where you can barely hear what the cashier says and the lady next to you is purchasing the last pound of lox cream cheese. Bagels arrive into greedy hands loaded with schmear (aka a very generous layer of cream cheese), and patrons go on their merry way. The sights and smells of a New York deli are truly unbeatable.

There's a reason New Yorkers are so adamant that they have the best bagels, the best pizza, the best anything, and it all boils down to the water. Indeed, New York tap water is legendary, so much so that Mayor Eric Adams recently guzzled a cup straight from the tap at a local press event. But it's not the tap water that makes New York's cream cheese unbelievably creamy and delicious; it's actually seltzer water from a bottle.

Although it may sound strange, chefs in New York have been using seltzer water in your favorite local schmears for decades. It's an old deli trick that leaves cream cheese mixtures lighter, fluffier, and perfect for packing onto a fresh bagel. Before adding special ingredients like chives or herbs and whipping the block of cream cheese, chefs add a dash of seltzer water. The addition of the carbonation and moisture from the seltzer helps to both soften and aerate the cream cheese mixture, which chefs can create by hand, leaving delis with a unique, velvety texture for their schmears.

If you're missing the thrill of a New York deli or have an urge to try this strange cream cheese concoction now that you've heard about it, it's easy and affordable to create this delicacy at home! Purchase a block or two of your favorite cream cheese, a bottle of seltzer water, and any other ingredients you may want to mix in (sweet or savory, the choice is yours). Add your cream cheese and special ingredients to a large bowl and top it off with a splash of seltzer. Then, use your hands to thoroughly combine the spread until you're left with a fluffy schmear that would most definitely fly off the shelves on a busy Saturday morning at a New York deli.