I am not from the South, so before this week, I had never tasted the comforting spread native to the region that's known as pimento cheese. However, I was eager to experience this seemingly exotic food, so I decided to make it. Pimento cheese isn't a type of cheese, but rather, a seasoned cheese mixture. The main ingredients are sharp cheddar cheese, jarred pimentos (a type of sweet succulent aromatic red pepper), and mayonnaise. 
The history of pimento cheese is fairly unknown, although it appeared in grocery stores and home kitchens somewhere in the early 1900s. It's delicious simplicity made it a hit during the Depression, and since then, pimento cheese has remained popular in the South. The tasty spread can be enjoyed on crackers, celery or other veggies, toast, or plain, old crustless white bread. To look at the recipe I used — it's Paula Deen's — keep reading.
From Paula Deen
Ingredients
1 (3-ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup grated sharp cheddar
1 cup grated Monterey Jack
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon House Seasoning, recipe follows
2 to 3 tablespoons pimentos, smashed
1 teaspoon grated onion
Cracked black pepper
Directions
- Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth and fluffy.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients and beat until well blended. It can be used as a dip for crudite or as a sandwich filling.
Makes 3 cups.
House Seasoning:
1 cup salt
1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup garlic powder
Mix ingredients together and store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
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Haburi
Naf Naf
Panache
Totally making this for my next party! Addictive, creamy, and had a slight roasted pimento flavor. Dangerous.
1I can't believe you had never had pimento cheese before? I grew up in NC so I guess I thought it was as ubiquitous everywhere else in the US as it is here. One of my favorites (but it has to be made with good quality cheese or else it's no good).
2Just found out this also makes great hang over food when spread on toast. Yum!
3Sarah, I grew up in the Midwest and we had it all of the time in my family; I was always surprised by how many of my friends had never had it until they were at my house. I think my mom's dad picked up a love for it when he used to travel for work, then passed the love for it on to my mom, who passed it on to me.
4i'm not sure if i've ever had this, but it sounds yummy!
5In Charleston SC it's always been an option on hamburgers--an alternative to cheddar. We love it.
6pimento cheese totally weirds me out. possibly because i've never had it.. but i'm no fan of processed cheese in general.
7Ellen, you must be thinking of the spread that's passed off as pimento cheese in a lot of the Midwest. Real pimento cheese isn't processed.
8I'll change the cheese for tofu and mayo for fat free yogurt and lots of fresh roasted pimentos, with a hint of fresh garlic.
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