Pimento cheese is a spread that’s popular in the South. It can be used on crackers, vegetables, and sandwiches. While it’s not a spread that’s limited to a certain time of year, the demand for pimento cheese in Augusta increases during a certain week in April.
Some people go all year without a pimento cheese sandwich but around golf week, that’s when they’ll go out of their way to get one. Of course, they’re available at the Augusta National throughout that week.
But for those who won’t make it out to the course, there are plenty of local places serving up the cheesy spread to enjoy at the restaurant or to take home.
If you’re looking for somewhere to grab some pimento cheese any time of the year, we’ve got 7 local places listed below.
History Of Pimento Cheese
Despite being a popular spread in the South, pimento cheese didn’t originate in the South. Instead, it started in New York, according to SeriousEats.com. It started with cream cheese and canned pimentos. Throughout the years the combination changed and evolved.
SeriousEats references a Good Housekeeping article from 1908 that suggested a combination of cream cheese, mustard, chives, and minced pimentos. Cheese manufacturers soon would start adding flavors to the cheese during production, saving a step for consumers.
Even though pimento cheese originated in New York, the South eventually became a big part of pimento growing and canning. In fact, Griffin, Georgia played a big role in the pimento industry.
By 1938, there were 25,000 acres of land under cultivation for pimentos, and the largest packer, Pomona Products Company in Griffin was producing 10 million cans of pimentos each year.
Because of the massive pimento production in Georgia, many believe that’s why pimento cheese seems to be more popular in the South. But pimento cheese saw a large boom across the country from the 1920s through the 1940s. The pimentos grown and canned in Georgia were shipped throughout the country.
Pimento Cheese In Augusta
When it comes to Tournament food, the pimento cheese sandwiches and egg salad sandwiches are iconic. Those are the two you’ll hear most about during golf week. The sandwiches have been served at the Masters for years. For years, the recipe came from a caterer out of Aiken, SC.
The food preparation would eventually be turned over to WifeSaver based in Augusta. After months of testing, they finally mastered a recipe that was close to the original. Through the years, the popularity of the sandwiches continued.
Eventually, the National decided to handle food preparation in-house. From there they had to re-create the recipe again, since the previous chef refused to share it. While it may not match the original, there’s no slowing down on demand from patrons for the sandwiches at the course.
Pimento Cheese Recipe
Pimento cheese is a combination of shredded cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, and pimentos. So, how could the recipes taste that much different? When searching for recipes online, you’ll find that some recipes add in cream cheese.
To really spice it up, some recipes use different combinations of spices to change the flavor. One recipe even suggests adding in some form of hot sauce.
If you’re looking for a “Masters Pimento Cheese” recipe, Golf.com has one you can see HERE.
And now other places you can find pimento cheese in Augusta:
