 Pimento cheese served in a bowl | |
| Type | Spread |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Main ingredients | Cheddar cheese orprocessed cheese,mayonnaise,pimentos |
| Part of a series on |
| American cuisine |
|---|
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Regional cuisines
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Holidays and festivals |
Pimento cheese (orpimiento cheese) is aspread typically made of cheese, mayonnaise, andpimentos and is typically served on crackers and vegetables or in sandwiches. There are ingredient variations among family recipe, commercial recipe, and regional versions.
Although the recipe has its origins in theNorthern United States, it is generally most closely associated with thecuisine of the Southern United States.[1][2]
The dish has its origins in theNorthern United States in the early 20th century as a homemade snack spread created by mixing chopped pimiento peppers with soft cheese such asNeufchatel or cream cheese.[1][2] A 1908Good Housekeeping recipe called for soft cream cheese and minced pimentos.[2] In 1909, Eva Green Fuller'sUp-to-Date Sandwich Book included a recipe calling for pimentos and Neufchatel.[2] By 1910 commercial versions had appeared, and ads appeared in parts of the North.[2] According to food writer Robert F. Moss, writing inSerious Eats, through the period until World War II, the spread "was mentioned in hundreds of newspaper stories and advertisements, but none of them describe it as being in any way a Southern thing".[2]
Original recipes called for canned Spanish pimentos, which were expensive; Southern farmers began growing pimentos to supply a less-expensive product.[2]Southern cooks adapted the recipe usinghoop cheese and mayonnaise.[1] After World War II, the popularity of the dish decreased in most of the US but kept its popularity in the South; it was not well-known outside that region. By the early 2000s, according to Moss, "an increasing number of Southern writers and chefs started celebrating the humble spread they remembered being made by their mothers, grandmothers, and aunts, and they started publishing recipes for it and even putting in on restaurant menus".[2]
The basic pimento cheese recipe has few ingredients, typically gratedcheddar cheese,mayonnaise, and choppedpimentos (also known as pimientos), mixed into a chunky paste.[3]
Regional ingredients include horseradish,cream cheese, salt and pepper, Louisiana-stylehot sauce,Worcestershire sauce,cayenne pepper,paprika,jalapeños, onions, garlic, anddill pickles.[3][4] Family recipes often vary the ingredients.[5]
Pimento cheese can be served as a spread on crackers orcelery, scooped ontocorn chips ortortilla chips, mixed in with mashed yolks fordeviled eggs,[6] added togrits, used as a topping for hamburgers orhotdogs.[7]
The spread is often served as a sandwich filling, sometimes as a cocktailfinger sandwich (with crusts trimmed, garnished withwatercress, and cut into triangles) or rolled up and cut intopinwheels.[citation needed]
Pimento cheese is most closely associated with Southern cuisine and has been referred to as the "pâté of the South", "Carolina caviar" and "the caviar of the South."[8][9]
Pimento cheese sandwiches have a long history at theMasters Tournament.[10][11] They have been served there as a concession since the 1940s.[12][13]Southern Living called the sandwich one of "the iconic foods of the Masters".[14] Minor controversy ensued in 2013 when theAugusta National Golf Club switched food suppliers for the Masters and the new supplier was unable to duplicate the recipe used by the previous supplier, resulting in a sandwich with a markedly different taste.[15]Sports Illustrated called the sandwich "legendary" and "more than a food option – it’s a representation of the sport's history and its traditions".[13]
According toSouthern Living,Rosalynn Carter once made pimento cheese sandwiches on a plane, handing them out to her grandchildren and other nearby passengers.[16]
A similar dish usingqueso de bola is known in thePhilippines, where it is referred to as "cheese pimiento".[17][18] Acheese ball is also a similar dish.[19][20] In Alaska, a similar cheese dip is called Kenai dip, after the butcher shop inKenai, Alaska where the jalapeño variant originated.[21]
