Truth to tell, we had never heard of boiled peanuts, a Southern specialty. While many Southern specialties—barbecue, chicken and waffles, cornbread, hot sauce, and pecan pie, for example—not to mention Bourbon—boiled peanuts had never crossed our path.

But when Dixie Grace’s wrote to us to try her boiled peanuts—and added that there was a National Boiled Peanuts Day on February 21st—how could we resist?

While we missed National Boiled Peanut Day, we have enough upcoming events Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, even July 4th, to make gifts of the all-American peanut in a form beyond what most of us eat (i.e., roasted peanuts).

Dixie Grace’s Boiled Peanuts are our Top Pick Of The Week because everyone should know what boiled peanuts are like.

More about them follows, but first:

> The history of boiled peanuts is below.

> So are all the peanut holidays.

> Beyond the peanut: all the nut holidays.

> The history of peanuts.

> Why are peanuts called goobers?
 
 
WHAT ARE BOILED PEANUTS?

Simply that: green (raw) peanuts in the shell that are boiled with a bit of salt and lemon, plus other seasonings if you want them spicy or sweet.

A protein-rich snack popular in the South, they deliver layers of flavor with just four simple ingredients: peanuts, salt (Dixie Grace’s uses pink Himalayan salt), water, and lemon.

You end up with a peanuts that are more tender and buttery. They’re vegan, gluten-free, cholesterol-free, non-GMO, and keto-friendly.

Nutritionally, peanuts are a protein powerhouse snack (7g per serving), 18% DV of fiber, gluten free, and cholesterol free, with lots of vitamins and 80+trace minerals. Dixie Grace’s are dairy free, soy free, and non GMO.

Open the bag and you’ll see what looks like most, dark brown peanut shells (photos #1 and #2). Pick one up and they immediately pop open revealing the red-skinned peanuts inside.

This Southern snack is popular fare at weddings, family reunions, tailgates, and other parties.
 
As you can see in the chart that follows:

 

[10] Boiled vs. roasted Peanuts: nutritional differences (image created by ChatGPT).
 
 
BEYOND SNACKING: HOW TO ENJOY BOILED PEANUTS

Just as with regular peanuts, boiled peanuts are surprisingly versatile in the kitchen. Remember that peanuts are legumes, belonging to the same botanical family (Fabaceae) as beans, lentils, and peas.

Since boiled peanuts are cooked, you can use them as you would any cooked legume.

They soak up flavor well and can act like legumes in many recipes.

And as an aside, although most snack peanuts are roasted, peanuts can be eaten raw, just like their fellow legumes such as fava beans, green beans, green peas, mung beans, snap peas, snow peas, and soybeans (edamame).

 
 
GET YOUR BOILED PEANUTS

Original Flavor: As mentioned above, just peanuts, water, lemon, and pink Himalayan salt.

Hot & Spicy: With an added blend of herbs and spices that delivers just enough kick.

While the peanuts are perfectly delicious as is, there’s a “Starter Kit” with dry seasoning and drizzle toppers that make a fun gift. Boiled Peanuts!

> Head to DixieGraceBoiledPeanuts.com.

We ate ours at room temperature, but you can heat them:

 
 
THE HISTORY OF BOILED PEANUTS

Boiled peanuts have deep roots in Southern cuisine, particularly in the states of Alabama, Georgia, and South Carolina.

However, their origins trace back to Africa and South America, where peanuts (originally from South America) were cultivated and later brought to North America via the transatlantic slave trade.

> The history of peanuts.

African culinary traditions included boiling legumes, and enslaved people in the South likely adapted this technique to peanuts.

By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, boiled peanuts became a popular snack among rural Southerners. They were especially common in late summer when fresh green peanuts (not fully dried) were harvested.

Today, boiled peanuts remain a beloved Southern tradition, often enjoyed at roadside stands, festivals, and social gatherings.
 
 
PEANUT HOLIDAYS

 
Plus:

[1] Fresh out of the pot (photos #1, #2, and #3 © Dixie Grace’s Boiled Peanuts).

[2] Just four ingredients: peanuts, water, lemon, and pink Himalayan sea salt.

[3] Available in Original and Hot & Spicy.

[4] These are peanuts freshly-pulled from the ground (photo © Once Again).

[5] These boiled peanuts were made in a slow cooker. Here’s the recipe (photo © Chef Hugh Acheson).

[6] Here’s a pressure cooker recipe (photo © Hannah Kaminsky | Bittersweet Blog).

[7] Add them to any dish for protein and texture; here, a noodle bowl (photo © Zhugewala | Pexels).

[8] On a road trip through the South, Grace discovered boiled peanuts at a roadside farm stand and “was blown away by their unique taste and texture” (photo © Mikhael Mayim | Pexels).

[9] You can make your own with green (raw, unroasted) peanuts, although in her recipe on Bittersweet Blog, Hannah Kaminsky says that roasted peanuts work, too Alabama Peanut).

“Goober” comes from the Bantu word nguba, meaning peanut.

Enslaved Africans brought peanuts to the American South used this word, and it entered English through Gullah, a Creole language spoken by African Americans in the Lowcountry region of South Carolina and Georgia.

Its first-known use in American English is found in the early 1800s, in the southern U.S.

“Goober peas” became a common colloquial term for boiled peanuts, especially among Confederate soldiers during the Civil War.

“Goober Peas” subsequently became the title of a folk song popular during the war: “Eating goober peas, good old goober peas…”

We learned the song in our grade school songbook. Here it is, sung by Burl Ives, a Grammy Award-winning folk singer who became a CBS Radio star and a film actor.

“Goober” also became a slang term for a silly or clumsy person (some people will remember Goober Pyle from The Andy Griffith Show).

But originally, the word just meant “peanut.”

And that’s why a popular brand of chocolate-covered peanuts is called Goobers.
 

[11] Goobers: chocolate-covered peanuts (photo © Ferrara Candy Co.).
 
 

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[1] You don’t have to be a whiz with a piping bag to enjoy this Green Goddess pesto deviled egg recipe (photos #1, #5, and #6 © Woodhouse Chocolate).

[2] No skill with piping is required, and the eggs will still look tempting. By the way, this particular green filling gets its color from avocado. Here’s the recipe (photo © Avocados From Mexico).

[3] If you don’t have (or like) pine nuts, you can use whatever nut you do like. This is a pistachio pesto—we love pistachios! (photo © Good Eggs).

[4] For garnish (photo #1), Cindy chopped grilled pitted olives from Trader Joe (photo © Trader Joe | Reddit).

[5] Perhaps the most popular use for pesto is with pasta, here orecchiette, “little ears” (photo © DeLallo).

[6] These green asparagus are actually painted dark chocolate. They’re also available in milk chocolate covered in white chocolate, and are a spring special at Woodhouse.

[7] Motorcycle rabbits are available in dark, milk, or white chocolate.

We always love the chocolates from Napa Valley’s Woodhouse Chocolate. As a special treat, when they send an email highlighting seasonal chocolates, they include a savory recipe.

It’s often not a recipe with chocolate—just something they particularly like.

With their Easter chocolate email, we received this recipe that had became an instant family favorite.

For St. Patrick’s Day, sister Cindy brought Green Goddess Pesto Deviled Eggs (photo #1). They were so good that everyone insisted she bring them again for Easter.

Cindy was kind enough to share the recipe with Woodhouse’s friends, and we share it with you.

Now—don’t worry if Cindy’s recipe is more artistic than you could hope to create. The deviled eggs will be just as delicious if they look like the typical style in photo #2.

But if you have piping tips, please do try it!

And check out the Easter chocolate we ordered, in photos #6 and #7.

The recipe follows, but first:
 
 
What’s the difference between Green Goddess pesto and Green Goddess dressing?

One of our interns asked, and here’s the scoop:

Most of the ingredients overlap—garlic and fresh herbs, for example. But the pesto also includes pesto-specific ingredients like pine nuts and Parmesan.

Because there are no ground nuts in the dressing, it’s smooth as silk. See it in photo #8, below.

> 20 uses for pesto.

> The history of pesto.

> The history of green goddess dressing.

> The history of deviled eggs.

> The history of Green Goddess dressing.

> More deviled egg recipes.

> The different types of eggs: a photo glossary.

> A year of egg holidays.

> National Green Goddess Day is September 25th. National Deviled Egg Day is November 2nd.
 
 
RECIPE: GREEN GODDESS PESTO DEVILED EGGS

This recipe makes a larger quantity than you will need to fill 8 eggs. But you can use it for many more recipes, from breakfast through dinner plus snacks.

Check out these > 20 uses for pesto. The ones we use most often are:

 
As a time-saver, we purchased already cooked and peeled hard boiled eggs.

Ingredients For 8 Eggs (16 Halves)

 
For The Eggs

 
Preparation

1. MAKE the pesto. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

2. BOIL the eggs. Use your preferred technique. Cindy highly recommends cooking them in a pressure cooker because the shells come right off. Here’s how:

3. PLACE the eggs on the metal trivet at the bottom of the pressure cookie and add 1-1/2 cups water. Pressure-cook on high for 5 minutes, let sit for another five minutes, then manually release the pressure cooker and put the eggs in an ice bath for five minutes. (This is called this the 5-5-5 method.)

4. PEEL the eggs, carefully halve the whites. Note in photo #1 that Cindy cut the eggs vertically into half-globes, not horizontally into “boats,” as it’s usually done. You’ll likely have to trim a tiny bit of white from the bottom of each half so the eggs will sit flat on the plate.

Then, pop the yolks into a bowl. Set aside the whites.

5. SIEVE the egg yolks through a fine mesh strainer. If you don’t have a strainer, you can pulse them in a food processor or whisk them until they break into a fine enough consistency. Blend with the pesto and mayonnaise.

6. PLACE the filling in a piping bag (or a plastic storage bag with a corner cut off, and pipe the filling into the egg whites.

7. GARNISH as desired. Cindy used chopped grilled olives from Trader Joe’s (photo #3).
 
 
 
 

[8] A lovely crudités plate with Green Goddess dressing. Here’s the recipe. You can also use the Green Goddess pesto recipe below (photo © David Malosh | Martha Stewart).
 
 
 
 

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Classic Jewish matzoh ball soup is comfort food par excellence. This version, Jewish-Japanese fusion food, gives it a trending, umami-rich twist.

The homemade chicken broth is flavored with earthy sautéed mushrooms, white miso paste, and dashi soup base. (Heads up: the soup base adds extra savoriness, but it’s not kosher. Don’t worry, though—if you omit it, the soup will still be delicious!)

The matzo balls are also a bit different. They’re made in the traditional way, but with green onions and a hint of sesame oil for a subtle, nutty boost. (Editor’s note: We have long added minced fresh parsley to our matzoh balls. It’s a great enhancement).the perfect modern spin on traditional comfort food.

Thanks to Gelson’s for the recipe. Click the link to find many more special recipes.

Below:

> The recipe for miso-matzoh ball soup.

> More 21st-century updates to chicken soup and matzoh balls.

> The history of matzoh ball soup.

> Is miso good for you?

> What is miso?

Elsewhere on The Nibble:

> The history of soup.

> The different types of soup: a photo glossary.

> The year’s 18+ soup and stew holidays.
 
 
RECIPE: MISO MATZOH BALL SOUP

The broth and chicken can be made a day in advance of making the matzoh balls.

For The Soup
 
Ingredients For The Miso Chicken Soup (8 Servings)

 
For The Matzoh Balls

 
Preparation
 
1. MAKE the soup. In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, combine the chicken, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and ginger. Add enough water to cover the chicken and vegetables by 1 inch, and bring it to a soft boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and gently simmer, partially covered, until the chicken is very tender and falls off the bone, about 1 to 1 ½ hours. Skim off any foam that accumulates.

2. REMOVE the chicken from the broth with tongs and transfer to a cutting board. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve and into a large bowl and set aside. Discard the aromatics and rinse the pot.

3. ADD the vegetable oil to the pot and heat over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until browned and fragrant, about 5 to 7 minutes.

4. RETURN the strained broth to the pot and bring it to a simmer. Whisk in the miso paste and optional soup base.

5. REMOVE the chicken chicken meat from the bones when it’s cool enough to handle, using your fingers or two forks. Shred it into bite-sized pieces. Add the chicken and white parts of the scallions to the pot, stirring occasionally, until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt to taste.

2. MAKE the matzo balls. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, vegetable oil, sesame oil, matzo meal, seltzer, salt, and half of the scallions with a fork. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3. BRING a large pot of generously salted water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and maintain the water at a simmer. Using your hands, gently press a small amount of matzo ball dough* into a 1-inch ball. Drop the matzo ball into simmering water. Repeat with the remaining dough.

4. COVER the pot and gently simmer the matzo balls until they are tender and puffy, about 40 minutes. Drain the matzo balls, return them to the pot, and keep them covered in a warm place until you’re ready to use them.

5. DIVIDE the matzo balls among 8 bowls and ladle the soup on top. Garnish with the remaining green onions. Leftover matzo ball soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
 
 
21ST CENTURY MATZOH BALL SOUP UPDATES

There are many examples of classic foods updated for foodie audiences that the original while adding excitement. Here are some ways to update Grandma’s matzoh ball soup.

Matzoh Ball Mix-Ins

Add to your dough/batter:

 
Or:

 
 
Broth Variations

 
 
Garnishes

 
 
Serving

 
Thanks to Claude.ai for these suggestions.
 
 
WHAT IS MISO?

Miso is a traditional Japanese seasoning made by fermenting soybeans with salt and a starter called koji, a kind of starter culture.

The result is a thick umami paste: deeply savory and salty. It can earthy and pungent or slightly sweet depending on the variety.

 
 
IS MISO GOOD FOR YOU?

Because it’s fermented, miso has probiotic benefits (just don’t boil it—heat can kill the good bacteria). Fermentation in miso increases the concentration of antioxidants, which help protect cells from damage caused by free radicals.

 
Miso soup is a low-calorie food, at 35 to 50 calories per cup (including miso paste, dashi broth, and a few cubes of tofu, seaweed, scallions, and/or mushrooms for garnish.

However, the single tablespoon of miso paste in that one cup of soup contains 600–800 mg of sodium.
 
 
MISO & SWEETS

Creative cooks and bakers have discovered the joy of miso in:

 
 
THE HISTORY OF MATZOH BALL SOUP

Before there was matzoh meal, with which matzoh balls are made, there had to be matzoh. According to Jewish tradition, the Exodus from Egypt occurred approximately in the 13th century B.C.E. (around 1250-1200 B.C.E.), though scholars debate the exact timing.

The story that is told is, when the Israelites were finally permitted to leave Egypt after a series of plagues sent by God to release them, they had to leave in such haste that they couldn’t wait for their bread to rise. Instead, they baked unleavened bread—matzoh—for their journey. (Here’s more history of matzoh.)

This historical event is commemorated during the Jewish holiday of Passover.

The development of matzoh ball soup came much later, primarily during the medieval (500-1500 C.E.) and early modern periods (1500-1789 C.E.), in Ashkenazi Jewish communities in Eastern and Central Europe.

The direct predecessor of matzoh balls was likely a Bavarian soup called knödel (KNAY-dul). Observing the dietary laws of Passover, ingredients, they created a version using matzoh meal instead of bread crumbs. These dumplings were called kneidlach (KNAY-dul-uch), and were served in chicken soup.

When Eastern European Jews immigrated to America in large numbers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, kneidlach became known in English as matzoh balls.

In 1930, Manischewitz introduced a packaged matzoh ball mix, making the dish more consistent. It helped to standardize matzoh balls in American Jewish cuisine, and introduced the dish to a wider audience.

Matzoh ball soup, an integral component of Passover fare, came to be served year-round as comfort food. It earned the nickname “Jewish penicillin” for its reputation as a remedy for colds and other ailments†.

Today, matzoh ball soup appears in countless variations. If you like trying new things, don’t wait until the holidays to try some of the ideas above.

[1] Fusion-food: umami-rich chicken soup and matzoh balls (photo and recipe © Gelson’s).

[2] Like all recipes, it starts with a chicken (photos #2, #6, and #10 © Good Eggs).

[3] The fusion begins with ginger root (photo © Karolina Grabowska | Pexels).

[4] Shiitake mushrooms, an umami-rich food (photo © Umami Information Center).

[5] More umami: a container of white miso (photo © Crumbs And Tales).

[6] White miso close-up.

[7] Dashi base adds richness to the broth. You can find it at Asian markets and online (photo © Kuze Fuku & Sons).

[8] In some parts of the country scallions are called green onions. We prefer the former term because it’s easy to mix up “green onions” with “spring onions.” There’s more in the footnote‡ (photo © Kyocera | Facebook).

[9] Matzoh meal is a finely ground product made from matzoh, an traditional unleavened bread similar in texture to water biscuits. It’s used as a substitute for breadcrumbs or flour during Passover when leavened products are forbidden (photo © Manishewitz.

[10] Seltzer is used in matzo balls to help create a light and fluffy texture by aerating the mixture. You can substitute club soda or sparkling mineral water. Here’s the difference (photo © Polar Beverages).

[11] A bowl of classic matzoh ball soup.

[12] Miso ice cream. Here’s the recipe (photo © Set The Table Photography).

†Chicken soup’s health benefits: Research has found that chicken soup may have mild anti-inflammatory properties that can help relieve cold symptoms. A 2000 study by Dr. Stephen Rennard at the University of Nebraska Medical Center showed that chicken soup inhibited the movement of neutrophils (white blood cells that cause inflammation), potentially reducing upper respiratory symptoms.

As a warm broth, it can also help with nasal congestion by increasing mucus flow and provide hydration. It is also easy to consume and digest.

††Kuze Fuku Traditional Umami Dashi Soup Base & Seasoning (photo #7) is a brand of powdered dashi used as a soup broth, or as a seasoning in other dishes. Similar to bouillon powder or granulated bouillon, it’s a concentrated, dehydrated form of broth or stock, designed for easy dissolving in water. It delivers a rich, savory flavor. You can find it at Asian markets and online.

‡Scallions and green onions are the same thing: a small bulb with a longer white shaft that is green at the top. Spring onions are common yellow onions that farmers pull from the field in spring to thin the rows. If left in the ground, grow into a common onion.
 
 

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[1] A southern classic: pimento cheese (photo © Taste Of Home).

[2] Enjoy it on a sandwich (which in the South means white bread)… (photo © Schermers Pecans).

[3] …or a grilled cheese sandwich (photo © Spread & Co.)…

[4] …or on a cheeseburger. Or on a hot dog (photo #14) (photo © Gardenia | New York City).

[5] The pimento chile. Depending on where it’s grown, it can be mild or almost as spicy as a jalapeno (photo © Migardener).

[6] Pimento is sold whole, in strips, and diced. Diced is needed for this recipe. Trivia: Pimento was initially used to cut the fruit’s bitterness (olives are the fruit of the olive tree). It’s the most popular olive stuffing (photo © Mario Camacho Foods | Amazon).

[7] Ready to mix in (photo © Roland Foods).

[8] Chopped pecans add a southern nut to a southern spread. Georgia is the “pecan capital” of the U.S. and the world. Schermer is a 5th generation Georgia farming family (photo © Schermer’s Pecans).

[9] Birdie’s, a popular Southern brand, makes pimento cheese in 8 favors, all delicious: Classic, Cream Cheese + Black Pepper, Garlic Parmesan, Ghost Pepper, Jalapeño, Olive Dill, and Smoked Gouda + Roasted Red Pepper (photos #9, 11, 13, and #14 © Birdie’s Pimento Cheese).

[10] Kraft acquired the company that made one of the early comkmercial brands of pimento cheese (photo © Kraft Heinz).

[11] Pimento cheese biscuits are a big thing in the South, and we don’t know why they haven’t taken the North by storm, too (photo © Melissa’s Produce).

[12] Pimento cheese quick bread. Here’s the recipe (photo © Go Bold With Butter).

[13] A beer tasting with pimento cheese.

[14] A better version of a cheese dog.

What’s for lunch? April 9th is National Pimento Cheese Day and we’re having not only one pimento cheese sandwich (photo #2), but a second, grilled pimento cheese sandwich (photo #3).

And maybe a third, for dinner—the pimento cheese we grew up with: chopped pimento, cream cheese, and minced chives (photo #15).

At its core, pimento cheese (photo #1) is a spread made with shredded cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, and chopped pimentos (more on them in a sec). People often customize it with cream cheese, garlic, hot sauce, or jalapeños.

It has became an iconic part of Southern fare, acquiring the sobriquets “pâté of the South, “caviar of the South,” and “Carolina caviar.”

While ready-to-eat containers are probably available in every food store in the South, there’s nothing better the all-natural, preservative-free homemade version that takes just five minutes to whip up. So let’s dig in.

> The recipe follows, but first:
 
 
What Is Pimento Cheese?

In its simplest form, pimento cheese is a spread or dip made with shredded Cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, chopped pimentos, and optional cream cheese. People often add with garlic, hot sauce, jalapeños, and different seasonings. It’s typically served on crackers, sandwiches, or even burgers and hot dogs.
 
 
What Is Pimento?

Pimento (photo #5) is a milder member of the Capsicum annuum species. Other cultivars in the species include bell peppers, cayenne peppers, cherry peppers, jalapeños, and paprika, among others.

Most sources say that pimentos and cherry peppers are the same thing, others disagree.
 
 
Is It Pimento Or Pimiento?

Both spellings. are correct, depending on where you stand.

 
> The history of pimento cheese is below.

> So are uses for pimento cheese if you don’t want a sandwich.

> Plus our own favorite pimento cheese, the original with cream cheese only.

> The history of the sandwich.

> The history of cheese.

> The different types of sandwiches: a photo glossary.

> The different types of cheeses: a photo glossary.

> All the sandwich holidays.

> All the cheese holidays.

> Recipe: olive and pimento cream cheese.
 
 
RECIPE: PIMENTO CHEESE SANDWICH WITH PECANS
 
In the South, this sandwich is made on white bread. But no; you deserve better. We recommend a tasty, sturdy sourdough or those stalwarts of the Reuben sandwich, rye or pumpernickel.

Toast the bread as you prefer.

We have been known spread pimento cream cheese (no cheddar or mayo) on a baguette. Yum! And the spread works great in pinwheel wraps.

This recipe was provided by Schermer Pecans from a recipe by Kathleen Purvis in Pecans, A Savor The South Cookbook. The recipe was revised by The Nibble.
 
Ingredients For 3-4 Sandwiches

For The Cheese Spread

 
For The Sandwich Assembly

 
Optional Substitutions

 
Preparation

1. PULSE the Cheddar and cream cheese in a food processor. Mix in the mayonnaise and Tabasco. Scrape into a mixing bowl and stir in the pimentos, their juice and the pecans.

2. TASTE and season as desired (salt, pepper, garlic, e.g.).

3. REFRIGERATE until a bit before you’re ready to make and serve the sandwiches, to let it come to room temperature.
 
 
HOW TO SERVE PIMENTO CHEESE IF YOU DON’T WANT A SANDWICH

For An Appetizer Or Snack

 
Lunch Or Dinner

 
And if we may suggest another sandwich…

 
 
THE HISTORY OF PIMENTO CHEESE

While today pimento cheese is best known as a Southern Cheddar cheese spread, it originated as a cream cheese spread in the North. The original was made without Cheddar, just cream cheese and pimento.

Some savvy person added olives, and today the cream cheese spread can be made simply by mixing in chopped pimento olives.

For our mom, however, that tipped the balance to the olives, so to even things out she added more chopped pimento.
 

[15] The original pimento cheese was cream cheese, and a brilliant variation appeared: cream cheese with pimento-stuffed olives. Here’s a recipe (photo © Southern Mom Loves).
 
The Pimento Cheese Chronology

1872: The story of cream cheese begins in 1872, when a dairyman named William Lawrence of Chester, New York invented it by happy accident: He was trying to make Neufchâtel, a soft French cheese.

With bricks of cheese wrapped in foil, Lawrence’s company began to distribute cream cheese in 1880. Here’s the history of cream cheese.

Circa 1908: Recipes for pimento cheese (sometimes written as “pimiento cheese”), mixing diced pimentos into cream cheese, began to appear in women’s magazines and cookbooks. Jars of Spanish pimentos had begun to be imported and became trendy.

It was a tasty new sandwich spread that was easily adapted to appetizers with crackers.

Circa 1911: Shortly thereafter, the first recipes for pimento cheese that used Cheddar cheese instead of cream cheese began to appear.

Southern cooks began to tinker with the recipe, and added mayonnaise, which provided the spreadability that cream cheese offered but Cheddar did not. Mayonnaise was also the binder needed to blend the grated Cheddar and chopped pimentos into a spread.

Commercial brands of pimento cheese began appearing on the market in the 1910s, following the growing popularity of homemade versions.

One of the earliest commercial producers was the Phenix Cheese Company—later part of Kraft—which began marketing a cream cheese with pimentos product around 1915. The Kraft version exists today as a mixture of Cheddar and cream cheese (photo #10).

Other early brands were Ruth’s Salads and Star Foods (also later acquired by Kraft). These and other manufacturers led to Charlotte’s nickname as “The Pimento Cheese Capital Of The World.”

Circa 1920: By the 1920s, the combination of cheddar cheese, pimentos, and mayonnaise had become the standard formula for pimento cheese across the southern United States. By the 1930s, the recipe had become firmly established in Southern cookery traditions, and had spread (no pun intended) nationwide.

1928: Kraft acquired the Phenix Cheese Company, whose brands included one of the earliest commercial pimento cheeses. Phenix also owned the Philadelphia Cream Cheese brand, which it had acquired in 1903 from Alvah L. Reynolds. Reynolds had previously partnered with William Lawrence, the original creator of cream cheese, to market the product under the Philadelphia name starting in 1880.

Circa 1950: Pimento cheese sandwiches began to be served at the Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club in Georgia. Served on white bread, they remain part of the Masters “experience.”

There was actually some controversy in 2013 when the tournament changed suppliers for their pimento cheese sandwiches. The new ones had a slightly different taste that some “regulars” complained about.

Augusta National worked with their new vendor to adjust the recipe to more closely match the original flavor profile that patrons had come to expect. Most seemed satisfied with the adjustments, although some purists still claim they can taste the difference from the original version (source: Claude.ai 2025-04-09).

The recipe has remained a closely guarded secret, but here’s a copycat recipe (see photo #16). It combine Cheddar with Monterrey Jack, which is perhaps the “secret.” Like other recipes, it also uses cream cheese, diced pimentos, mayonnaise, onion powder, garlic powder, and cayenne.

2016: National Pimento Cheese Day was declared on April 9, 2016 by The Fresh Market, a specialty grocer that had introduced their own pimento cheese recipe in 1983. Here it is.

[16] A copycat recipe of the famed Masters Tournament (photo © Pizzazzerie).

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April 6th is National Carbonara Day, a creamy pasta dish beloved both here, in Italy, and anywhere else where a creamy Parmesan/Pecorino sauce can be made.

This recipe, created by from Plays Well With Butter, was shared with us by DeLallo, a great source for the finest Italian products—and recipes.

Instead of the spaghetti used in the classic recipe, pillowy potato gnocchi dumplings add texture and flavor, tossed with crispy pancetta, garlic, and a sauce of grated Parmesan and egg yolks.

It comes together in just 20 minutes.Finish with lemon zest and chives for a quick and cozy carbonara dinner.

If you like this recipe as much as we do, remember that the 29th of every month is Gnocchi Day in Argentina—a good reason to keep making it.

> The classic Carbonara recipe and with more carbonara recipes.

> The history of Spaghetti Carbonara.

> The history of gnocchi.

> The history of pasta.

> The different types of pasta: a photo glossary.

> The year’s 20 pasta holidays

> Wine pairings with carbonara are below.
 
 
RECIPE: GNOCCHI CARBONARA

You can substitute any shape of pasta here, but the best are the more substantial shapes: the corkscrew shapes (cavatappi, fusilli, gemelli, rotini), bell shapes (campanelle, gigli,trompetti) and generally fun shapes like ruote (wagon wheels) and recchiette (little ears).

Prep time is 10 minutes and cook time is 10 minutes.

If you don’t have both Parmesan and Pecorino cheeses, use the one you have.

While Pecorino Romano is the traditional cheese for Spaghetti Carbonara, some prefer use a blend of Pecorino and Parmesan to balance the flavors.

Pecorino has a sharp, salty tang, while Parmesan adding a less salty, nuttier flavor.

> The different Italian grating cheeses.
 
 
Ingredients For 2 Servings

 
Preparation
 
Jess Larson of @PlaysWellWithButter, the author of the recipe, wants you to read through the entire recipe before you begin to cook.

“Carbonara is a time-sensitive dish that comes together quickly once all the components are ready,” she says. “It’s helpful to already have a sense of the process once you begin cooking.”

So measure, chop, and otherwise prepare the ingredients. Then:

1. BRING a large pot of water to a boil. Generously season the boiling water with salt.

2. RENDER* the pancetta in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat renders and the pancetta becomes golden and crispy, about 5 minutes. Add in the chopped garlic.

3. COOK, stirring constantly to prevent burning, for 1 minute more, until the garlic is slightly softened and very fragrant. Remove from the heat immediately and set the skillet aside.

4. PREPARE the carbonara sauce egg mixture: Add the egg yolks and grated cheeses to a large mixing bowl. Generously season with freshly cracked black pepper and whisk to combine. The mixture will be thick. Set aside.

5. BOIL the gnocchi. Use your hands to break apart the individual pieces as needed before adding to the pot. Cook 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the gnocchi float to the top of the pot. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy water, then drain the gnocchi.

6. TRANSFER the cooked gnocchi to the skillet with the rendered pancetta and garlic. While whisking constantly, pour about ¼ cup of the reserved starchy water into the carbonara sauce egg mixture. The hot water should loosen the egg mixture and begin to melt the cheeses.

7. TRANSFER the egg mixture to the skillet with the gnocchi, tossing well to combine. Return the skillet to medium-low heat. Continue to stir and toss, adding additional starchy water little by little, until the gnocchi carbonara sauce is glossy and coats the dumplings well.

8. FINISH the dish by tossing in the lemon zest. Remove from the heat.

9. TO SERVE: Divide the gnocchi into two pasta bowls. Top with extra grated cheese, finely chopped chives, ground black pepper, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil as desired. Serve immediately.
 
 
WINE PAIRINGS WITH CARBONARA

Italy offers excellent red and white options. You want a wine with good acidity to cut through the richness of the sauce.

 
 

[8] While it may seem unusual to some, a bit of lemon zest brings exciting flavor to the dish (photo © Microplane).

[1] Gnocchi Carbonara (photos #1, #2, #5 © DeLallo).

[2] Start with a pound of potato gnocchi.

[3] We can buy pre-diced pancetta, saving time (photo © Murray’s Cheese).

[4] Chopped garlic (photo © RDNE Stock Project | Pexels).

[5] You can save time and effort by purchasing garlic that’s already finely chopped (photos #5, #6 and #7 created with ChatGPT 2025-04-06).

[6] Egg yolks combine with grated cheese to create the rich sauce.

[7] Pecorino Romano on the left and Parmigiano Reggiano on the right. Trivia: The traditional black coating on Pecorino Romano is a food-safe “paint,” often a mixture of clay, grapeseed oil, and carbon black (a powder), used to differentiate it from other cheeses. Scrape it off before using the rind (e.g. to flavor soups and stews), as it can impart a black color.

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