Banana pudding is a dessert dish lesson in ‘layering’

Banana pudding is a Southern food for sure, and its best ambassador may have been Aretha Franklin (1942-2018), the “Queen of Soul.”

 

Born and raised in Memphis, Tenn., Franklin appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 1999 to demonstrate to the television studio’s live audience how to make a batch of banana pudding. This gave the dessert dish national exposure.

 

Food historian Robert Moss of Charleston, S.C., said the first printed recipe for banana pudding appeared in an 1888 edition of Good Housekeeping magazine, published by Clark W. Bryan in Holyoke, Mass.

 “It’s quite similar to a traditional English trifle, with bananas incorporated as the fruit,” Moss reported. The recipe instructs: “Make and chill a pint of custard, then line a pretty dish with alternating layers of sliced sponge cake and sliced bananas. Pour the custard over the layers and top with whipped cream.” 

A basic custard is “a cooked mixture made of eggs and milk or cream, usually having a thick, creamy consistency.” Also, a sponge cake “contains no baking powder or baking soda, just lots of whipped eggs, flour and sugar.” 

Some recipes called for banana pudding to be topped with an ocean of meringue and then browned in an oven, replacing whipped cream.

 

As the years rolled on, banana pudding was “simplified.” The vanilla instant pudding took the place of custard and store-bought vanilla wafers squeezed sponge cake out of the recipe. A tub of frozen whipped topping eliminated the traditional whipped cream. (The bananas-part of the recipe remains unchanged.) 

Moss offered some food for thought: “If you look across the slate of home economics specialties that evolved into Southern icons – ambrosia, pimento cheese and banana pudding – you might note a common trait: They are well-suited for serving at large gatherings.” 

“They’re easy to make, and, particularly, to make in bulk. They’re also easy to dish out and serve. You can bring them in big pans or bowls, and you don’t have to keep them warm.”

 

“Church picnics, funerals, holiday family gatherings, tailgating are key Southern social events that tie people together and create strong food memories, and dishes like banana pudding are ideal for them,” Moss added. 

“I suspect that this was an important factor in why the simple dessert became popular with Southern cooks and also why Southern diners remember it with such fondness.” 

Tommy Tomlinson of Charlotte, N.C., a freelance writer, said: “Unlike pork barbecue or fried chicken, nobody argues much over banana pudding. Make it however you want. Just save me some.” 

The only rule is this: Banana pudding is made in layers. Bananas, pudding, wafers, repeat. Banana pudding is geology. Over time – and it doesn’t take long – the layers press together. The flavors seep into one another. With every bite, you can taste not only the ingredients but also what they have melded into, creamy and cool, with just enough resistance for your tongue to push up against,” Tomlinson wrote. 

“Layers of taste. Layers of time. And, sometimes, layers of love.” 

Asheville-based food writer Rick McDaniel (1959-2020) said: “I think a big part of (Southerners’ love affair with banana pudding) is how easy it is to make. A lot of desserts take a good bit of fussing over. There’s a lot of trouble getting them right. Banana pudding is kind of hard to mess up. Everything in there is sweet. And we go nutso for sweet stuff.”

 

“Of course,” Tomlinson commented, “banana pudding has crept into other parts of the country. It’s too good to keep fenced in.”