| Pimento cheese | |
| Country: | United States |
| Type: | Spread |
| Main Ingredient: | Cheddar cheese or processed cheese, mayonnaise, pimentos |
Pimento cheese (or pimiento cheese) is a spread typically made of cheese, mayonnaise, and pimentos and is typically served on crackers and vegetables or in sandwiches.
Although the recipe has its origins in the northern United States, it is generally most closely associated with the cuisine of the Southern United States and has been referred to as the "pâté of the South" and "the caviar of the South." Pimento cheese sandwiches have a long history as a concession at the Masters golf tournament; Southern Living called it one of "the iconic foods" of the tournament. Sports Illustrated called it "a representation of the sport's history and its traditions".
There are ingredient variations among family recipe, commercial recipe, and regional versions.
The dish has it origins in the Northern United States in the early 20th century as a homemade snack spread created by mixing chopped pimiento peppers with soft cheese such as Neufchatel or cream cheese.[1] [2] A 1908 Good Housekeeping recipe called for soft cream cheese and minced pimentos. In 1909, Eva Green Fuller's Up-to-Date Sandwich Book included a recipe calling for pimentos and Neufchatel. By 1910 commercial versions had appeared, and ads appeared in parts of the north. According to food writer Robert F. Moss, writing in Serious 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".
Original recipes called for canned Spanish pimentos, which were expensive; southern famers began growing pimentos to supply a less-expensive product. Southern cooks adapted the recipe using hoop cheese and mayonnaise.
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".
The basic pimento cheese recipe has few ingredients, typically grated cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, and chopped pimentos (also known as pimientos), mixed into a chunky paste.[3]
Regional ingredients include horseradish, cream cheese, salt and pepper, Louisiana-style hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, paprika, jalapeños, onions, garlic, and dill pickles.[4] Family recipes often vary the ingredients.[5]
Pimento cheese can be served as a spread on crackers or celery, scooped onto corn chips or tortilla chips, mixed in with mashed yolks for deviled eggs,[6] added to grits, used as a topping for hamburgers or hotdogs.[7]
The spread is often served as a sandwich filling, sometimes as a cocktail finger food (with crusts trimmed, garnished with watercress, and cut into triangles) or rolled up and cut into pinwheels.
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 the Masters Tournament.[10] [11] They have been served there as a concession since the 1940s.[12] Southern Living called the sandwich one of "the iconic foods of the Masters".[13] Minor controversy ensued in 2013 when the Augusta 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.[14] Sports Illustrated called the sandwich "legendary" and "more than a food option – it’s a representation of the sport's history and its traditions".[15]
According to Southern 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 using queso de bola is known in the Philippines, where it is referred to as "cheese pimiento".[17] [18] A cheese ball is also a similar dish.[19] [20]