INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb white cheddar, shredded
• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 4 oz mayonnaise
• 1 cup diced pimento, rinsed
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/8 tsp cayenne
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp horseradish
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Combine in mixer with paddle.

In the 1870s, New York farmers started making soft, unripened early versions of cream cheese. Around the same time, Spain began sending canned red peppers or “pimiento” over to the U.S. These peppers became a staple in kitchens across the country. By the turn of the century, most print sources had dropped the “i” and were calling the peppers “pimentos.” The two ingredients were brought together in 1908 in a Good Housekeeping recipe for cream cheese, mustard, chives, and minced pimentos. The combination of cream cheese and pimento was such a hit it started to be mass-produced. Soon, Georgia farmers were trying to grow red peppers domestically, roasting them, canning them, and sending out as many as 10 million cans of pimentos a year, spreading the gospel of pimento cheese around the country. After WWII, home cooks started making their own pimento cheese with cream cheese, cheddar, and using a good dollop of mayonnaise to bind it all together.