Type | Spread |
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Place of origin | United States |
Main ingredients | Cheddar cheese or processed cheese, mayonnaise, pimentos |
Part of a series on |
American cuisine |
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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 its 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. [2] In 1909, Eva Green Fuller's Up-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 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". [2]
Original recipes called for canned Spanish pimentos, which were expensive; southern famers began growing pimentos to supply a less-expensive product. [2] Southern cooks adapted the recipe using hoop 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 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. [3] [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.[ 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 the Masters 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 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. [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 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]
Egg salad is a dish consisting of chopped hard-boiled or scrambled eggs, mustard, and mayonnaise, and vegetables often including other ingredients such as celery.
An open sandwich, also known as an open-face/open-faced sandwich, bread baser, bread platter or tartine, consists of a slice of bread or toast with one or more food items on top. It has half the number of slices of bread compared to a typical closed sandwich.
Russian dressing is a piquant American salad dressing consisting of mayonnaise, ketchup, and other ingredients.
A canapé is a type of starter, a small, prepared, and often decorative food, consisting of a small piece of bread or cracker, wrapped or topped with some savoury food, held in the fingers and often eaten in one bite.
A tea sandwich is a small prepared sandwich meant to be eaten at afternoon teatime to stave off hunger until the main meal.
A pimiento or pimento or cherry pepper is a variety of large, red, heart-shaped chili pepper that measures 3 to 4 in long and 2 to 3 in wide.
Trinidad and Tobago cuisine is influenced by Indian-South Asian, West African, Creole, European, American, Chinese, Amerindian, and Latin American culinary styles.
Deviled eggs, also known as stuffed eggs, curried eggs or dressed eggs, are hard-boiled eggs that have been peeled, cut in half, with the yolk scooped out and then refilled having been mixed with other ingredients such as mayonnaise, mustard and sprinkled with paprika, cinnamon or curry powder. They are generally served cold as a side dish, appetizer or a main course during gatherings or parties. The dish is popular in Europe, North America and Australia.
A dip or dip sauce is a common condiment for many types of food. Dips are used to add flavor or texture to a food, such as pita bread, dumplings, crackers, chopped raw vegetables, fruits, seafood, cubed pieces of meat and cheese, potato chips, tortilla chips, falafel, and sometimes even whole sandwiches in the case of jus. Unlike other sauces, instead of applying the sauce to the food, the food is typically placed or dipped into the sauce.
Smørrebrød, smørbrød "butter bread" (Norwegian), or smörgås " butter goose" (Swedish), is a traditional open-faced sandwich in the cuisines of Denmark, Norway and Sweden that usually consists of a piece of buttered rye bread, topped with commercial or homemade cold cuts, pieces of meat or fish, cheese or spreads, and garnishes.
A spread is a food that is spread, generally with a knife, onto foods such as bread or crackers. Spreads are added to food to enhance the flavor or texture of the food, which may be considered bland without it. Butter and soft cheeses are typical spreads.
Cheese spread is a soft spreadable cheese or processed cheese product. Various additional ingredients are sometimes used, such as multiple cheeses, fruits, vegetables and meats, and many types of cheese spreads exist. Pasteurized process cheese spread is a type of cheese spread prepared using pasteurized processed cheese and other ingredients.
Chicken salad is any salad with chicken as a main ingredient. Other common ingredients include mayonnaise, hard-boiled egg, celery, onion, pepper, pickles and a variety of mustards.
Many cuisines feature eggplant salads and appetizers.
Ham salad is a traditional Anglo-American salad. Ham salad resembles chicken salad, egg salad, and tuna salad : the primary ingredient, ham, is mixed with smaller amounts of chopped vegetables or relishes, and the whole is bound with liberal amounts of a mayonnaise, salad cream, or other similar style of salad dressing, such as Miracle Whip.
Pub cheese is a type of soft cheese spread or dip prepared using cheese as a primary ingredient and usually with some type of beer or ale added. While beer cheese is made with beer, pub cheese can be made without alcohol. Pub cheese is a traditional bar snack in the United States.
Crab dip, sometimes referred to as Maryland crab dip, is a thick, creamy dip that is typically prepared from cream cheese and lump crab meat. Other primary ingredients such as mayonnaise may be used. Various types of crab preparations, species and superfamilies are used, as are a variety of added ingredients. It is typically served hot, although cold versions also exist. Hot versions are typically baked or broiled. It is sometimes served as an appetizer. Accompaniments may include crackers and various breads. Some U.S. restaurants offer crab dip, commercially produced varieties exist, and some stadiums offer it as a part of their concessions.
A tomato sandwich is a dish closely associated with the cuisine of the Southern United States. Recipes typically call for ripe-to-overripe non-commercially grown tomatoes, mayonnaise, salt, and pepper on soft commercial white bread. It is generally expected to be messy to eat.
Cheese sauce is a sauce made with cheese or processed cheese as a primary ingredient. Sometimes dried cheese or cheese powder is used. Several varieties exist and it has many various culinary uses. Mass-produced commercial cheese sauces are also made by various companies, in both liquid and dry forms. These prepared sauces are used by consumers and restaurants, and commercial formulations are used in the production of various prepared foods, such as macaroni and cheese mixes and frozen meals.