Cup cheese is a soft, spreadable cheese rooted in Pennsylvania Dutch culinary history. Its heritage dates back to the immigration of the Mennonites and Amish to Pennsylvania in the late 17th century. A variation of the German cheese "Kochkäse", it is a specialty food product labeled as cup cheese because it is sold in a cup.
Cup Cheese is described in James A. Michener's novel Centennial in 1974: