It is commonly associated with Southern US cuisine, but it can be found around the country and specific areas.[3]
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 press together causing the flavors to intermingle.[4]
Banana pudding can be prepared using a baked or refrigerated method, with the latter being the more popular, particularly among home cooks. Moreover, many recipes have been adapted using vanilla or banana pudding instead of a true custard. Other recipes omit the wafers.
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.[5]
Similar dishes
Banana cream pie is 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 creame
^Richard Sax, Classic Home Desserts: A Treasury of Heirloom and Contemporary Recipes from Around the World (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, April 1, 2000), page 138. ISBN0-618-00391-6