 Banana pudding served in a bowl with vanilla wafers | |
| Type | Pudding |
|---|---|
| Course | Dessert |
| Place of origin | United States[1] |
| Region or state | Southern United States[1] |
| Main ingredients | Bananas,Vanilla Wafers orladyfingers,custard,vanilla flavoring |
Banana pudding (sometimesbanana cream pudding) is aSouthern United Statesdessert generally consisting of layers of sweetvanilla-flavoredcustard,vanilla wafers orladyfingers, and sliced freshbananas which are assembled in a dish and served topped withwhipped cream ormeringue.[2]
It is commonly associated withSouthern US cuisine, but it can be found around the country in specific areas.[3]
A typical method for making banana pudding is to repeatedly layer the bananas, custard, and wafers into a dish and top with whipped cream or meringue. Over time, the wafers will absorb the custard and the layers will combine, causing the flavors to intermingle.[4]
Banana pudding can be prepared using abaked orrefrigerated method, with the latter being the more popular, particularly among home cooks. Moreover, manyrecipes have been adapted usingvanilla or banana pudding instead of a true custard. Other recipes omit the wafers.
See also:Banana production in the United States
Bananas began to gain popularity in the US after theCivil War. The first known reference to banana pudding came in an 1878 "Information Wanted" column fromThe New York Times, and the first recipe in an 1888 issue of the Massachusetts-basedGood Housekeeping magazine—it was similar to an Englishtrifle, utilizing layers ofsponge cake with custard and bananas.
Recipes for banana pudding became very popular in the 1890s across the US, with the sponge cake approach being the most popular, though some used ladyfingers.[5]
In 1920, the use of vanilla wafers instead of ladyfingers first appeared, first seen in a recipe from Mrs. Laura Kerley in aBloomington, Illinois local newspaper,The Pantagraph. Following the rise in popularity of using wafers, in the 1940s theNational Biscuit Company (later known as Nabisco) began printing a recipe for banana pudding on theNilla Wafers box, whose marketing helped further boost the dessert's acclaim.[6]
The Nabisco recipe closely resembled popular versions of today, calling for "lining a baking dish with layers of vanilla wafers and sliced bananas, pouring custard over them, and spreading meringue across the top." However, it called for baking the dessert at 325 degrees for 20 minutes.
It is clear that banana pudding did not begin with the strong ties to the Southern US that it maintains today, though there is no consensus on how the Southern identity developed. Some have theorized that it developed naturally through large gatherings such as church picnics,family reunions, and barbecues, because the dessert is easy to scale up, requires no cooking, and keeps well.[7]
The National Banana Pudding Festival is held at the Centerville River Park inCenterville, Tennessee. It is a 2-day event held on the first weekend of October.[8]
