Created by the Rodgers’ Pudding company in Chesapeake, Virginia, Banana Pudding Lovers Month gives all of us an opportunity to pay tribute to the only pudding flavor that can give plain ol’ chocolate a run for its money. Besides being tasty and satisfying, banana pudding has a surprisingly rich history in this country — and enough fans to support an annual two-day National Banana Pudding Festival and Cook-Off. So as you ramp up to Thanksgiving, treat yourself throughout November to this delectable dish.
Banana Pudding Lovers Month timeline
- October 2010
Yes, it's a pudding festival!
The first National Banana Pudding Festival was held in Centerville, Tennessee. It is a two-day event held the first weekend of October.
- 1940s
The Nilla Wafer era
Nabisco started printing a banana pudding recipe that includes the cookie on its Nilla Wafer box.
- Late 1800s
Banana pudding emerged
Banana pudding became a U.S. dish as international trade networks make the once-exotic fruit affordable.
- 1903
Early Southern recipe
Mary Harris Frazier published an early banana pudding recipe in her comprehensive Southern cookbook "The Kentucky Recipe Book"
- 1888
First U.S. recipe
Good Housekeeping magazine first published a banana pudding recipe, served over sponge cake.
5 Sweet & Fluffy Banana Pudding Facts
Airborne dessert
Georgia band Southern Culture On the Skids used to throw banana pudding at their live audience during their suitably named song "Banana Puddin."
A jarring way to serve
In the Southern U.S., restaurants traditionally serve banana pudding in mason jars.
Banana battle
Judges at the annual National Banana Pudding Cook-Off rate puddings based on use of basic ingredients, appetizing appearance, texture, color, aroma, taste, and ease of preparation.
Pudding sans pudding
Influential Boston cooking teacher Mary J. Lincoln made banana pudding without pudding — just layers of sliced bananas sprinkled with sugar and lemon juice, baked and topped with meringue.
The versatile pudding
Banana pudding can be chilled, baked or even molded.
Banana Pudding Lovers Month Activities
Make the best basic Southern-style banana pudding you can find
It's hard to beat an original, and the American South seems to have perfected banana pudding. Don't forget the Nilla Wafers or whipped cream, and make sure to serve it in a mason jar!
Go global
Fry your bananas Indonesian-style before adding them to your pudding, add toffee to your pudding to make it British, or try substituting plantains and cinnamon into your recipe!
Make it healthy
Rev up your Google machine and start researching! There's a wealth of delicious recipes for making your banana pudding sugar-free, low-fat, low-carb, vegan, or paleo!
Why We Love Banana Pudding Lovers Month
It's delicious
Creamy, moist, sweet and sometimes crunchy, a traditional banana pudding dish — one that includes Nilla Wafers and whipped cream or meringue — can satisfy in many ways.
It's versatile
Like most puddings, banana pudding can be prepared and flavored in a surprisingly large number of ways, and it can be added to a bunch of other dessert dishes.
It's nutritious
Banana pudding, despite the sugar, is rich in protein, potassium, magnesium, pectin, and fiber.
Also on Fri Nov 1, 2024...
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