50 States Sandwich Challenge: Georgia

Seems like Georgia's on everyone's mind these days and no, I'm not still talking about the election.  I'm of course talking about The Masters taking place this weekend after a delay earlier in the year.  Incredibly (and unplanned), Georgia is this week's sandwich of the week.  And during Master's weekend, it's only appropriate to use the only food served at the course for spectators, Georgia's state sandwich, The Pimento Cheese Sandwich.  Everyone I've ever met who has attended The Masters in Augusta, GA has raved about the Pimento Cheese Sandwiches there, so I'm excited to get my hands on one today while sitting down to watch some golf like the middle-aged man I am rapidly becoming.  Pimento Cheese has a long history in the United States, and you'll be as surprised as I am to learn that it did not start in Georgia.  In the 1870s farmers in upstate New York started making a soft, unripened cheese that became what you know now as cream cheese.  At the same time, Spain was exporting canned sweet red peppers known as Pimentos en masse to New Yorkers.  These two new "modern" products were favorites of "Domestic Science" practitioners of the 19th century (these were women-led social reformists who sought to bring order and scientific precision to their homes).  Before long, the U.S. was at war with Spain (Spanish-American War), and with it, the supply of pimentos was cut off.  That was until Georgia farmers began growing red peppers and canning them, thus becoming America's center of the pimento industry.  The peak of Georgia's pimento production was the 1920s-1940s, a time when pimento cheese was mentioned in hundreds of ads, none of which describe the cheese as being specifically Southern.  Augusta National Golf Club opened right in the middle of the pimento boom in 1933, and The Masters' Tournament was born in the following year in 1934, where the only food served to the public was a pimento cheese sandwich.  Pimentos popularity waned post World War 2, but still remained a staple in Augusta, who kept the pimento tradition alive.  

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, grated with a food processor or hand grater (not pre-grated)
• ¼ cup softened cream cheese (2 ounces), pulled into several pieces
•  Scant 1/2 cup jarred pimento or other roasted red peppers (from a 7-ounce jar), finely diced
• 3 tablespoons Duke’s, Hellmann’s or other high-quality store-bought mayonnaise
• ½ teaspoon dried red chile flakes
•  Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. In a large mixing bowl or food processor, mix the cheddar cheese, cream cheese, pimentos, mayo, and chile flakes into a smooth and spreadable mixture.

2. Spread on white bread.

3. Que the music.