Southern Pimento Cheese Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is pimento cheese called in the South? ›

Most Southerners have fond memories of a loving aunt mixing up a batch for a church gathering, while Northerners haven't the foggiest idea what pimento cheese even is. Affectionately referred to as “Carolina caviar” or “Southern pate,” it has been a Southern staple for well over 50 years.

Palmetto Cheese is gluten free, made with Wisconsin sharp cheddar, cream cheese, mayonnaise and chopped pimentos along with other quality ingredients. Our pimento cheese has the taste and texture of homemade and is currently available in over 10,000 locations in 45 states and Washington D.C.

What Is Pimento Cheese? Pimento cheese is a popular Southern spread that's traditionally made with shredded Cheddar, mayonnaise, and pimentos. It's commonly served with crackers and vegetables or as a sandwich filling. Pimento cheese is often called the "pâté of the south."

Whereas pre-packaged pimento cheese can last up to four weeks in the fridge, the homemade version will not last quite as long due to the lack of stabilizers and preservatives — it will only last for about one week.

While it's hard to imagine anyone appreciating the heavenly combination of shredded cheese, mayo, and diced red pimentos as much as Southerners, the delicious spread actually got its start up North—in New York, specifically.

Pawleys Island Specialty Foods is a wholesale food company based in Pawleys Island, SC. We are the creators and marketers of the #1 brand of pimento cheese in America called Palmetto Cheese. Founded in 2006, Pawleys Island Specialty Foods continues to develop and market new products for retail customers.

Costco pulls Palmetto Cheese after founder calls BLM a 'terrorist organization' Palmetto Cheese, a regional pimento cheese brand based in South Carolina, is getting grilled by shoppers and social media alike after publicly comparing the Black Lives Matter movement to a “terrorist organization.”

Palmetto Cheese is a trademark for a brand of pimento cheese from Pawleys Island Specialty Foods, a division of Get Carried Away, based in Pawleys Island, South Carolina. It is manufactured and packaged at Duke Sandwich Productions located in Easley, South Carolina.

It may have become popular in the South because it didn't spoil easily at room temperature, making it easy to pack in lunchboxes, particularly for textile workers. But it was also fashionable as a sandwich in tea rooms.

You can make pimento cheese ahead (up to a few days before is good) and leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to two weeks, although I find it's best within a week.

Is pimento cheese only in the South? ›

And I hate to break it to them, but “pimiento” cheese wasn't invented in the South. It's well documented that the first pimento cheese was a blend of Neufchâtel cheese and diced pimento peppers. It was sold by the slice or in a jar in early 1900s groceries all over the country, from Richmond to Portland.

Please keep refrigerated until ready for use. How long is pimento cheese good after opening? Enjoy all this goodness within four weeks, whether you've opened the package or not, or check the expiration date on the container.

Once opened, as long as the product remains refrigerated, Palmetto Cheese should be good until the date printed on the side of the lid. However, like any product, the “freshness” will be compromised after a few weeks, though it would remain safe to eat.

This world-famous spread might be known as the "pâté of the South", but at heart, pimiento cheese is a humble delicacy made of simple ingredients: mayonnaise, grated cheese, and jarred pimientos. It is best savored on regular old, trusty Saltines.

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." Pimento cheese sandwiches have a long history at the Masters Tournament.

Believe it or not, this dish originated in the North and was made with pimentos and cream cheese. However, in typical Southern fashion, South Carolina decided to make the dish their own by tweaking the recipe and using only the best locally sourced ingredients.

Hoop cheese is the name of a mild, semisoft cow's milk cheese originating in the American South. Other names include red ring cheese or baker's cheese. Today, the name may be used to refer to this traditional cheese or to modern versions that more closely resemble cheddar cheese.

The spread of pimento cheese

It may have become popular in the South because it didn't spoil easily at room temperature, making it easy to pack in lunchboxes, particularly for textile workers. But it was also fashionable as a sandwich in tea rooms.