Pimento cheese is ubiquitous in North Carolina – and throughout much of the South. You can find variations on this mixture of cheddar, pimento peppers and mayo or cream cheese slathered on pretty much anything. Pimento cheese, aka Carolina caviar, is as synonymous with Southern food culture as sweet tea and fried chicken. But the origin story of this spreadable cheddar cheese and pimento pepper dish is much more complicated and a lot less Southern than you might think.