The Southern Sandwich First Lady Rosalynn Carter Once Passed Out On A Plane

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While fancy steak dinners taste great in the moment, the fondest food memories are often of simple, comfort meals made with love by the people we cherish most in life. This is how Jason Carter remembers a beloved Southern staple his late grandmother, former First Lady Rosalynn Carter, used to make: pimiento cheese sandwiches.

Jason, eldest grandson of President Jimmy Carter, shared a memory with Southern Living of his grandmother Rosalynn handing out impromptu sandwiches on a holiday trip: "We were all in the back of the plane together. After takeoff, we looked over, and my grandmother had taken out a Tupperware of her pimiento cheese and a loaf of bread and started making sandwiches." After feeding her family, the former First Lady passed out sandwiches to strangers aboard the plane. "That moment is a perfect reflection of my grandmother: practical, down-to-earth, and selfless," Jason said.

In case you're unfamiliar with pimiento (or pimento) cheese, it's a creamy spread that's popular in the South. It is commonly made with shredded cheddar, mayonnaise, and pimientos, which are small, bright red peppers that are typically sweeter than bell peppers. Herbs, spices, and aromatics are sometimes added to creatively upgrade pimento cheese. In sandwich form, it has remained a Southern staple and comfort food since the early 20th century.

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Pimiento cheese sandwiches typically consist of the spread between white, crustless bread slices that are cut into triangles or squares. They are commonly served during tea, at picnics, baby or wedding showers, and tailgating parties. They are also famously always served at the Masters tournament for the low price of $1.50, which has remained the same since 2002. (Golf fans might be interested to learn the Masters Tournament pimento cheese sandwich's origin story.)

Pimiento cheese recipes gained traction in the early 20th century following the invention of cream cheese and the introduction of Spanish pimiento peppers to the U.S. Interestingly, the spread was commercially made and sold mostly in the North before becoming a Southern staple. It originally contained cream cheese instead of cheddar. The regional shift in popularity could be connected to the large amount of pimiento peppers grown in Georgia during the 1920s through the 1940s. Southerners put their own spin on recipes by using shredded cheddar cheese and other add-ins like jalapeños, bacon, lemon juice, hot sauce, and cayenne pepper.

Jarred versions of the spread are available at most grocery stores, but it's also easy enough to make your own with a classic Southern pimento cheese recipe. In addition to serving as a sandwich filling, it's often eaten with crackers as a dip, spread on burgers, or added to potatoes.