What’s Pimento Cheese?

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Pimento cheese is a spread made from grated cheese, mayonnaise, and cherry peppers. It is an American cheese plate most popular in the Southern states from the Carolinas through Alabama and Georgia, and as far back as Kentucky and Tennessee. The recipes vary by country, but all focus on very simple, easy-to-use ingredients. The spread is popular as a dip, as a cracker topping, and as a simple sandwich filling.

Cheddar cheese is the traditional base for any pimento cheese sauce. Aged yellow cheddar is most common, but other types of cheeses, including white cheddar or Monterey Jack, are also used in combination with or in place of yellow cheddar. The cheeses need to be shredded or grated to incorporate them properly into the dip.

Mayonnaise and basic spices such as salt and pepper, cayenne pepper, or a dash of hot sauce are then added to the cheese and blended to make a chunky sauce. Finely chopped cherry peppers, also known as pimentos, are added last. Some cooks also add onion, garlic, or dill pickles, largely depending on location—different communities and regions have their own traditional pimento cheese recipes. The mixture is stirred, refrigerated and served. No cooking or melting required.

Within communities, differences in pimento cheeses largely stem from the type of cheese, the brand and amount of mayonnaise, and the intensity of spice used. Southern cooks have been known to debate the finer points of how to grate cheese, as well as the right ratio of mayonnaise to grated cheese. Pimento cheese is known in many places as “the pâté of the south” and aficionados tend to take its preparation seriously.

The precise origins of the spread are unknown, but its first documentation is believed to have occurred in 1901. Perhaps due to its simple and inexpensive ingredients, it remained a staple through the Great Depression and both world wars. The spread remains a modern favorite.

Pimento cheese was traditionally served on appetizer platters alongside crackers, greens, and French bread. Many guests in the 1950s and 1960s presented it alongside the Benedictine spread, a similar cheese dip made with cucumbers rather than pimentos. Benedictine spread is traditionally green, while allspice dip is orange. Colors were often used strategically to spice up finger foods.

Home cooks in the United States still make and serve pimento cheese today. It’s a very common addition to sandwiches. Traditionally, a pimento cheese sandwich was little more than the spread layered between two pieces of white bread, but it is increasingly appearing in more gourmet contexts as well: as a grilled cheese sandwich on artisan bread, for example, or as an accompaniment to a sophisticated roast beef sandwich.

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