The Southern spread made from cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, and pimentos is pimento cheese. It is usually prepared by mixing grated cheese with chopped pimiento peppers and mayonnaise into a chunky spread.
Although strongly associated with the American South, pimento cheese began as a Northern American food. Early 20th-century recipes used soft cream cheese or Neufchâtel with pimentos; Southern cooks later popularized versions made with cheddar and mayonnaise. Regional recipes may add cream cheese, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, cayenne, jalapeños, or onions.
Pimento cheese is served on crackers, celery, sandwiches, burgers, and vegetables. A famous version is the pimento-cheese sandwich served at the Masters Tournament in Augusta, Georgia, where it has been a concession tradition since the 1940s. Cream cheese spread and cheese dip may resemble it, but neither is the canonical name for this specific combination.