Banana pudding

Banana pudding

Banana pudding served in a bowl with vanilla wafers
Type	Pudding
Course	Dessert
Place of origin	United States
Region or state	Southern United States
Main ingredients	Bananas, cookies (Vanilla Wafers or ladyfingers), custard, vanilla flavoring

Banana pudding is a dessert generally consisting of layers of sweet vanilla flavored custard, cookies (usually Vanilla Wafers or ladyfingers) and sliced fresh bananas placed in a dish and served, topped with whipped cream or meringue.

It is commonly associated with Southern U.S. cuisine, however, it can be found around the country. Furthermore, it closely resembles an English Trifle in that it is assembled in layers and includes custard, fruit, sponge cake, and whipped cream.

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. An early Banana pudding recipe was published in "The Kentucky Receipt Book," by Mary Harris Frazer, in 1903. However, even this recipe does not include wafers.

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.

The National Banana Pudding Festival began October 2010. It is held at the Centerville River Park and Jerry Dixon Walking Trail located a short distance north from the Centerville Public Square in Centerville, Tennessee. It is a 2-day event held the first weekend of October.

The National Banana Pudding Festival is the brain child of twelve local community volunteers seeking a way to earn money to cover the costs of helping victims of disasters, fires, tornadoes and floods. In September 2009, they incorporated the National Banana Pudding Festival as a nonprofit corporation and set about bringing their dream to reality. They quickly realized they could do more than just help their cause. They could provide a way for many nonprofit organizations to "earn" much needed funds for their causes and missions too.