Benedictine (spread)
Benedictine or benedictine spread is a spread made with cucumbers and cream cheese. Invented near the beginning of the 20th century, it was originally and still is used for making cucumber sandwiches, but in recent years it has been used as a dip or combined with meat in a sandwich. This spread can be obtained pre-made from some Louisville, Kentucky-area grocery stores.
Benedictine used as a dip, with sesame crackers | |
| Alternative names | Benedictine spread |
|---|---|
| Type | Sandwich filling, condiment, or dip |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | Louisville, Kentucky |
| Created by | Jennie Carter Benedict |
| Serving temperature | cold or room temperature |
| Main ingredients | Cucumbers, cream cheese |
| Ingredients generally used | onion, cayenne pepper, salt |
| Variations | Mayonnaise |
Although benedictine is rarely seen in restaurants outside the state of Kentucky, it has been written about in articles in national publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Saveur Magazine, and also reported about on multimedia outlets such as the Food Network and NPR.
A benedictine-based sandwich was featured on the Food Network's 50 States 50 Sandwiches program in 2012, on the television shows of celebrity chefs Paula Deen and Damaris Phillips, in Southern Living magazine as one of June's "2011 Best Recipes" for their corresponding issue, in Garden & Gun magazine, and in PopSugar.