{{short description|Dessert made from banana}} {{Infobox food | name = Banana pudding | image = Banana pudding, homemade.jpg | image_size = 250px | caption = Banana pudding served in a bowl with vanilla wafers | alternate_name = | country = United States<ref name=frazer>Mary Harris Frazer, ''The Kentucky Receipt Book'' (BiblioBazaar, October 9, 2008), p. 221. {{ISBN|0-559-33134-7}}.</ref> | region = Southern United States<ref name=frazer/> | creator = | course = Dessert | type = Pudding | served = | main_ingredient = Bananas, Vanilla Wafers or ladyfingers, custard, vanilla flavoring | variations = }} '''Banana pudding''' is a Southern United States dessert generally consisting of layers of sweet vanilla-flavored custard, vanilla wafers or ladyfingers, and sliced fresh bananas which are assembled in a dish and served topped with whipped cream or meringue.<ref name="splendid">{{cite news|title= Southern Banana Pudding|url= https://www.splendidtable.org/story/2003/11/03/southern-banana-pudding|publisher= The Splendid Table (American Public Media)|first= David|last= Rosengarten|date= November 2003|access-date= 2022-09-17|archive-date= 2022-09-20|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220920170745/https://www.splendidtable.org/story/2003/11/03/southern-banana-pudding|url-status= live}}</ref>
It is commonly associated with Southern US cuisine, but it can be found around the country in specific areas.<ref>Richard Sax, ''Classic Home Desserts: A Treasury of Heirloom and Contemporary Recipes from Around the World'' (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, April 1, 2000), p. 138. {{ISBN|0-618-00391-6}}.</ref>
==Ingredients and preparation== 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.<ref>Tomlinson, Tommy. "Food". ''Our State'' Magazine. Web. 21 Feb. 2012. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150716020424/http://www.ourstate.com/banana-pudding/ |date=2015-07-16 }}.</ref>
==History== {{See also|Banana production in the United States}} Recipes for banana pudding became very popular in the 1890s across the US, with the sponge cake approach being the most popular.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How Banana Pudding Became a Southern Icon |url=https://www.seriouseats.com/history-southern-banana-pudding |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=Serious Eats |language=en}}</ref>alt=Two servings of banana pudding, each served in a red ramekin|thumb|Individually portioned banana pudding In 1920, the use of vanilla wafers instead of ladyfingers first appeared, first seen in a recipe from Mrs. Laura Kerley in a Bloomington, Illinois local newspaper, ''The Pantagraph''. Following the rise in popularity of using wafers, in the 1940s the National Biscuit Company (later known as Nabisco) began printing a recipe for banana pudding on the Nilla Wafers box, whose marketing helped further boost the dessert's acclaim.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Like Its Complicated History, Banana Pudding Has Many Layers |url=https://www.foodandwine.com/cooking-techniques/banana-pudding-history-recipes |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=Food & Wine |language=en}}</ref>
It is clear that banana pudding did not begin with the strong ties to the Southern US that it maintains today, although 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How Banana Pudding Became a Southern Icon |url=https://www.seriouseats.com/history-southern-banana-pudding |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=Serious Eats |language=en}}</ref>
==National Banana Pudding Festival== The National Banana Pudding Festival is held at the Centerville River Park in Centerville, Tennessee. It is a 2-day event held on the first weekend of October.<ref>{{cite web |title=National Banana Pudding Festival returns for 9th year in Centerville |url=https://www.columbiadailyherald.com/lifestyle/20180908/national-banana-pudding-festival-returns-for-9th-year-in-centerville |website=The Daily Herald |language=en |date=September 8, 2018 |access-date=March 9, 2020 |archive-date=September 11, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180911104945/http://www.columbiadailyherald.com/lifestyle/20180908/national-banana-pudding-festival-returns-for-9th-year-in-centerville |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Similar dishes== * Banana cream pie, a dish of Southern cuisine that includes bananas and custard in a prebaked pie crust, topped with whipped cream * Trifle, a dish in English cuisine that combines fruit and custard layered with sponge cake and topped with whipped cream
==See also== {{Commons category-inline}} {{div col|colwidth=22em}} * Banana bread * Banana custard * Bananas Foster * Bánh chuối * List of banana dishes * List of custard desserts * Summer pudding * Tipsy cake {{div col end}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Banana}} {{Puddings}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Banana Pudding}} Category:American desserts Category:Puddings Category:Custard desserts Category:Cuisine of the Southern United States Pudding Category:Thanksgiving food Category:Soul food Category:African-American cuisine