BY BOB HOLT

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

Little known fact: cheesecake is believed to have been served to Olympic athletes during the first games in 776 B.C. to give them energy. Its origins are said to come from Greece more than 4,000 years ago.

And Monday, July 30 has become National Cheesecake Day. You can join in the celebration, because gold medal cheesecakes are being served all across New Jersey.

According to Westfield Patch, celebrations will be taking place there at such eateries as San Marzano Pasta Bar, Bovella's Pastry Shoppe, Sweet Waters Steakhouse, Robert Treat Deli's and Xocolatz. Bloomfield Patch reports that Anthony's Cheesecake will be offering a free NY Style mini cheesecake with the purchase of each lunch entree between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. on National Cheesecake Day.

And according to its website, national chain The Cheesecake Factory will be celebrating the occasion by offering their guests any slice of cheesecake at half price. Locations for The Cheesecake Factory in New Jersey can be found here.

Cheesecake was looked at as a good source of energy for the first Olympic athletes, a sort of natural performance enhancer. According to npr.org, the earliest written cheesecake recipe came from Greek grammarian Athenaeus in 230 AD: "Take cheese and pound it till smooth and pasty; put cheese in a brazen sieve; add honey and spring wheat flour. Heat in one mass, cool, and serve."

In other cheesecake trivia, the largest one ever made weighed in at 4,703 pounds, setting a Guinness World Record in Mexico In January 2009.

No word on the weights of the people who finished off that record holder.