Banana Pudding

The story of banana pudding coincides with the story of the Southern icon ambrosia. Both use once-exotic ingredients  that became more popular towards the end of the 19th century.  This change in availability occurred after the Civil War, when steam ships became faster and new trading firms brought in increasing amounts of fruit from the Caribbean and Central America. This lead to banana pudding moving from a high status to a common place dessert.

The earliest recipe for banana pudding was a simple entry int he New York Times in 1878. In 1921 Mrs. Laura Kerley contributed a recipe to the Bloomington Illinois Pantograph. The recipe called for one pound of vanilla wafers. By the 1940s Nabisco was publishing a recipe for banana pudding on the side of its Vanilla Wafers boxes.

During the early 20th century, banana pudding recipes were published in newspapers across the United States, and the desserts was not portrayed as Southern, After World War II, banana pudding gained a Southern identity. Several theories exist as to why this change occurred. Some note that a lot of bananas came through New Orleans and so the fruit was widely available there. Others point to Southerners' sweet tooth, and the fact that it can be made without heating up a kitchen on a hot summer day. Also social event are an integral part of life in the South and food is usually present there, especially dishes like banana pudding that can easily be made in bulk and does not have to be kept warm.

Here is a link to an article with more information:
http://www.seriouseats.com/2015/03/history-southern-banana-pudding.html

Recipe 

Total Time:  45 min

Prep:  30 min

Cook:  15 min

Yield:8 servings

Ingredients

4 large eggs

3/4 cup sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon plus a pinch salt

2 cups whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
30 to 40 vanilla wafers
3 to 4 medium ripe bananas

Directions
Separate the yolks from the whites of 3 of the eggs; set aside the whites. Add the remaining whole egg to the yolks.
In a saucepan, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar, the flour and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir in the whole egg and 3 yolks, and then stir in the milk. Cook uncovered, stirring often, until the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Spread a thin layer of the pudding in a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish. Arrange a layer of vanilla wafers on top of the pudding. Thinly slice the bananas crosswise, about 1/8 inch thick, and arrange a layer of banana slices over the wafers. Spread one-third of the remaining pudding over the bananas and continue layering wafers, bananas and pudding, ending with pudding.
To make the meringue, beat the reserved egg whites with a pinch of salt until they are stiff. Gradually beat in the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and continue beating until the whites will not slide out of the mixing bowl when it is tilted.
Spread the meringue over the pudding with a spatula, making a few decorative peaks on top, and bake until the meringue is lightly browned, 5 minutes.