Pimento or Pimiento? That was the debate my editor sent me as she was editing the final copy for The Growing Season: A Year of Down-on-the-Farm Devotions. WHAT??? I had never even read the heresy of PIMIENTO? What was this word?
Turns out one can use pimento or pimiento. Two different spellings. Two different pronunciations.
Southern Living magazine even weighed in on the argument. I understand their conclusions as a desire to stay as close to the original word as possible. But here in the south we, as usual, changed up the pronunciation a bit and dropped that i. At least that’s all I can figure happened to account for the spelling change that is common for my East TN upbringing.
As for recipes, here is the recipe by my mother-in-love. It’s very “southern outta your grandmother’s kitchen” style pimento cheese. Made with mayo, sugar, velveeta & cheddar cheese, + pimentos. Perfect for a picnic.
Enjoy!
Do you say pimento or pimiento? I just have to know. Please leave me a reply.
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We love pimento cheese! No sugar, no Velveeta just mild cheddar, jar of pimentos, Mayo & pepper.
Thanks for this memory, Sarah!
Pamento, or as my husband sometimes says, “minner cheese”