WEBVTT - How Does Pimento Cheese Work? 0:00:01.920 --> 0:00:04.320 Welcome to brain Stuff, a production of I Heart Radio, 0:00:06.160 --> 0:00:10.240 Hey brain Stuff, Lauren bog obam Here. Pimento cheese maybe 0:00:10.280 --> 0:00:13.600 a scrumptious staple. It's super popular in the South, but 0:00:13.720 --> 0:00:17.160 this creamy cheese dish actually got its start up north 0:00:17.480 --> 0:00:20.720 in New York, of all places, just before World War One. 0:00:21.520 --> 0:00:25.120 Fortuitous timing is what brought this comfort food, A simple 0:00:25.120 --> 0:00:28.680 spread made with pimentos, shredded cheese, and mayonnaise into being 0:00:30.240 --> 0:00:34.000 as soft, spreadable, mild tasting cream cheese, which was the 0:00:34.040 --> 0:00:37.000 original ingredient in pimento cheese, hit the market in the 0:00:37.120 --> 0:00:41.760 late eighteen hundreds. Spain's sweet red pimento or pimiento peppers 0:00:41.760 --> 0:00:46.600 simultaneously entered America's food aisles. These mild peppers added a 0:00:46.680 --> 0:00:50.839 pop of colorful pizzas to dishes without any overwhelming flavors. 0:00:51.720 --> 0:00:56.120 American chefs and homemakers appreciated these muted tastes, and they 0:00:56.120 --> 0:00:59.680 were integrating cream cheese into everything from dips to our derves. 0:01:00.320 --> 0:01:04.639 As canned pimentos became readily available, they soon fused the two, 0:01:05.120 --> 0:01:08.039 and the comfort food category has never been the same. 0:01:09.280 --> 0:01:11.440 Of course, there's much more to the story than a 0:01:11.560 --> 0:01:15.400 simple marriage between cheese and pimento peppers. The story of 0:01:15.440 --> 0:01:20.319 pimento cheese involves mass production, agricultural novelties, and the addition 0:01:20.360 --> 0:01:25.039 of the South's signature influence, mayonnaise. Here's a snapshot of 0:01:25.040 --> 0:01:30.520 pimento cheese's history to wet your appetite. So As recipes 0:01:30.560 --> 0:01:35.440 for pimento cheese sandwiches filled magazines and cookbooks, cheese manufacturers 0:01:35.480 --> 0:01:39.240 began to notice they mass produced pimento cheese, and it 0:01:39.400 --> 0:01:43.200 soon became available in grocery stores across the country. At 0:01:43.240 --> 0:01:46.240 the same time, the state of Georgia was making headway 0:01:46.319 --> 0:01:50.120 with plans to grow pimentos on us soil. The state's 0:01:50.240 --> 0:01:53.320 lead farmers requested seeds from the Spanish consulate in the 0:01:53.360 --> 0:01:56.760 early nineteen hundreds, and in nineteen sixteen they had their 0:01:56.760 --> 0:02:01.919 first successful harvest. As the peppers proved fruitful, pimento cheese 0:02:01.920 --> 0:02:05.200 grew in popularity across the South, and some Southerners and 0:02:05.320 --> 0:02:08.080 towns and cities might have had access to canned pimento 0:02:08.160 --> 0:02:10.720 cheese spread, but other folks would have had to make 0:02:10.720 --> 0:02:14.840 it themselves, and that's likely when mayonnaise made its way 0:02:15.000 --> 0:02:19.320 into pimento cheese. We spoke with Kevin Clark, the co 0:02:19.440 --> 0:02:23.079 owner of an Atlanta restaurant called Homegrown, Georgia, popular for 0:02:23.160 --> 0:02:26.720 its Southern style breakfast, fair and diner food. He said, 0:02:27.120 --> 0:02:29.960 growing up in the South, cream cheese wasn't something we ate. 0:02:30.200 --> 0:02:33.800 It just wasn't available, So mayonnaise was a substitute. We 0:02:33.919 --> 0:02:38.240 used mayonnaise on everything. It's just what we had. Pimento 0:02:38.320 --> 0:02:42.040 cheese saw its popularity spike before World War Two, but 0:02:42.240 --> 0:02:47.160 the enthusiasm waned post war. While others forgot about the cheese, 0:02:47.440 --> 0:02:50.320 the Southern chefs began experimenting with their own recipes in 0:02:50.360 --> 0:02:53.919 the years following. It became part of Southern culture, and 0:02:54.000 --> 0:02:57.160 Clark says that families now boast their own special Southern 0:02:57.160 --> 0:03:01.280 pimento cheese recipes, and his family's recipe is, of course 0:03:01.440 --> 0:03:05.480 his favorite. He said, family recipes have more meaning to 0:03:05.520 --> 0:03:08.280 you anyway. Honestly, I don't think there are really a 0:03:08.280 --> 0:03:10.600 lot of differences and recipes other than one may have 0:03:10.720 --> 0:03:14.080 sharp cheddar or mild cheddar. It's just a personal preference. 0:03:15.320 --> 0:03:18.120 Clark introduced his pimento cheese recipe to the world at 0:03:18.160 --> 0:03:20.799 Home Grown, which has been serving up Southern comfort food 0:03:20.840 --> 0:03:25.000 in Atlanta since At first, pimento cheese wasn't even on 0:03:25.040 --> 0:03:28.840 the menu, he said, Pimento cheese slipped my mind, but 0:03:28.880 --> 0:03:31.240 a customer would come in every week and ask for it. 0:03:31.560 --> 0:03:33.680 I finally put it on the menu and it took off. 0:03:34.160 --> 0:03:36.520 We probably go through some fifty to sixty pounds of 0:03:36.600 --> 0:03:39.760 cheese every week. That's about twenty three to twenty seven 0:03:39.840 --> 0:03:44.760 kilo's not too shabby. Pimento cheese is a simple recipe, 0:03:44.960 --> 0:03:47.080 and Clark says that that's one of the best things 0:03:47.160 --> 0:03:51.400 about it. Today's most popular recipes call for shredded cheddar cheese, 0:03:51.400 --> 0:03:55.440 pimento peppers, mayonnaise, and ground black pepper, although some cooks 0:03:55.480 --> 0:03:59.560 add flair with ingredients like halapenos and hot sauce. It's 0:03:59.560 --> 0:04:02.440 typically served cold as a dip or a sandwich spread, 0:04:02.680 --> 0:04:06.040 although per customer requests, Clark now serves his hot too. 0:04:06.800 --> 0:04:08.960 He says customers come in from all corners of the 0:04:09.000 --> 0:04:12.440 country to try distinct Southern cuisine, and while it may 0:04:12.440 --> 0:04:15.000 not be the first thing that comes to mind, pimento 0:04:15.120 --> 0:04:19.200 cheese is an unexpectedly great way to enjoy authentic Southern fair. 0:04:20.800 --> 0:04:24.280 Clark said people are always taken aback by a cold 0:04:24.400 --> 0:04:27.400 cheese spread, but I say just try it. It's really 0:04:27.400 --> 0:04:30.160 easy to make and you don't have to use fancy ingredients. 0:04:30.240 --> 0:04:32.480 It's good cold or heat it up. There are just 0:04:32.520 --> 0:04:35.719 so many ways to use it. To make your own. 0:04:35.880 --> 0:04:40.040 Clark recommends this recipe. Combine two cups of shredded sharp 0:04:40.120 --> 0:04:42.479 cheddar cheese, a half a cup of mayonnaise, a half 0:04:42.480 --> 0:04:44.960 a cup of diced pimento peppers, a teaspoon of ground 0:04:45.000 --> 0:04:48.040 black pepper, and two to four dashes of crystal hot 0:04:48.080 --> 0:04:50.600 sauce and a mixing bowl and stir until the mixture 0:04:50.680 --> 0:04:54.720 is smooth and spreadable. Then cover and chill before serving. 0:04:54.839 --> 0:04:57.200 Let's stand at room temperature for thirty minutes or so 0:04:57.279 --> 0:05:00.560 and stir well. It can be stored in air container 0:05:00.560 --> 0:05:02.760 in the refrigerator for up to a week if it 0:05:02.960 --> 0:05:10.960 lasts that long. Today's episode was written by Stephanie Vermillion 0:05:11.040 --> 0:05:13.400 and produced by Tyler Clang. For more in this month 0:05:13.440 --> 0:05:16.040 of other topics, visit how stuff works dot com. Brain 0:05:16.080 --> 0:05:18.600 Stuff is a production of iHeart Radio. For more podcasts 0:05:18.600 --> 0:05:20.680 in my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, 0:05:20.760 --> 0:05:23.560 Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.