One of America’s Richest Regional Confections Has Roots at the Cincinnati Opera

As the lights came back on for intermission at America’s second-oldest opera house, guests were handed cream-center chocolates as a free treat. This was in the 1920s, when a regional confection took the stage at the Cincinnati Opera, earning its name: the Opera Cream. 

From chili and goetta, to Kentucky bourbon balls popularized just over the Ohio River, Cincinnati has its fair share of local recipes and hidden gems. But one sweet treat flies considerably under the radar, despite its lavish roots in both the opera and the French monarchy. What makes Opera Creams, a chocolate-coated confection with fondant-like filling, even more mystifying is the folklore — stemming all the way back to the 1600s — surrounding its origins. 

What's an Opera Cream?

The exact creation of the first Opera Cream can’t be certain, but according to local legend, and folks like Dann Woellert, self-described “food etymologist” and author of Cincinnati: A Sweet History, it all starts under French King Louis XIV. During his reign in the mid- to late-17th century, the chocoholic monarch commissioned a German chocolate-making family, the Bissinger’s, to serve as candy-makers for his empire. One of their confections was an oblong chocolate with a rich, fondant-like filling made from whipped sugar, cream, and (sometimes) butter. That same recipe accompanied that same family when the Bissinger’s immigrated to the U.S. in 1845, seeking a new life as candy-makers in Cincinnati. 

Opera Cream's Origins

It wasn’t until the Cincinnati Opera opened in 1920 that they — allegedly — earned their name, when they were handed out as free treats during intermission. Other local companies caught on, and started making their own versions. Like Putnam Candies, which was among the first companies to post local ads for Opera Creams in the 1920s, and Schneider’s Sweet Shop, an existing confectionery that’s been making Opera Creams in Bellevue, Kentucky, since 1939. 

According to Woellert, a local company invented a machine called the Ball Cream Beater, which is essential in making the creamy filling for all Opera Cream recipes. It’s part of the reason why it’s little-known elsewhere, and why it’s become such a local legend in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

Where to Find Opera Creams in Cincinnati, Ohio

In addition to Schneider’s, other local shops that specialize in Opera Creams include Aglamesis, Graeter’s, and Fawn Candy Co., while The Kidd Coffee Co. roasts an Opera Cream coffee and BonBonerie bakery has a signature Opera Cream Torte — the latter of which is used to brew an Opera Cream Stout at Braxton Brewing Co. 

No matter its exact origins, the Opera Cream is a sweet tale of family heritage, and a classic candy being embraced, preserved, and modernized. From the French monarchy to the Opera, any way you slice it (even literally, in cake form), it’s a little-known treat with a story to savor. 

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