Pimento cheese: what is it and where did it come from?
Pimento cheese is the southern staple that is easier to make than you think
I don’t know if you have ever had pimento cheese, but personally, I love the creamy and cheesy flavor whether it is on a sandwich or on crackers. In case you have never heard of it, pimento cheese is big in the south and is often referred to as the pate of the south.
Pimento cheese is a versatile spread or dip often made using canned or jarred Spanish pimento peppers (or diced red peppers), mayonnaise, and some variation of cheddar cheese.
The mayonnaise is included as the binding agent for the cheese and peppers. Once upon a time, pimento cheese was made with cream cheese, but the cream cheese was later swapped out from mayo because it helped it spread over bread easier.
While pimento cheese is widely known as one of the two items handed out at the infamous Masters golf tournament, a little known fact about the spread is that it is quite possibly the reason for us to have been blessed with Duke’s mayonnaise which may be the best on the market today.
If you have never tried, you definitely should. It’s worth the shipping costs if it is unavailable in your part of the country such as it is where I live.
Pimento cheese has achieved southern icon status even though it wasn’t born there
Ironically, pimento cheese did not originate in the south and it was actually a northern creation with a blend of Neufchatel cheese and diced pimento peppers. It was originally sold by the slice or by the jar. It was the marriage of two food products that had just met their mass production birth in the north and mainly out of New York. Southerners will tell you it was then perfected in the south.
One of the things that brought pimento cheese to popularity in the south was the ability to make it at home. Although it was originally sold in hard form and often shipped in jars, people in southern regions who could not afford the product found relative ease making at home.
To this day, many southerners prefer a homemade mayonnaise to add to the shredded cheese and pepper mixture. Also, diced pimentos can easily be substituted with red peppers so the ingredients can be interchangeable.
Pimento cheese became a go-to sandwich to serve to soldiers and it was a favorite sandwich for people to take to work or make for children to take for school lunch. It became a staple at southern church cookouts, family reunions, and funerals. Although it could be bought in stores, most homemade varieties were the most popular.
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Nowadays, pimento cheese has been celebrated as a topping for burgers, for deviled eggs, as a topping for biscuits, or as a way to liven up a grilled cheese sandwich.
Another great option is pimento cheese queso which has my mouth-watering. Much of the pimento cheese innovations we have today has originated from what people remember of the spread from their childhood. This is a plus for all of us.