A short history of banana pudding and where we’re going to get it
In the American South, banana pudding is a shining star on the dessert table at potlucks and holiday gatherings, often featured next to other favorites like pound cake and sweet potato pie. My misguided imagination has long assumed that banana pudding—like soul food—had its beginning in the antebellum South. But I was wrong! The tropical fruit did not grow in the United States until after 1870. Banana pudding is actually an American interpretation of the British trifle, and the first recipe for the American version appeared in Good Housekeeping in 1888.
After the Civil War, steamships transported bananas to U.S. ports from Central America and the Caribbean. With easy accessibility, home cooks in the South and around the nation gravitated toward the fruit. Banana pudding was one dessert that could inexpensively feed large groups—and it’s been a potluck staple ever since.
In mid-July I visited a selection of local establishments that make banana pudding, starting with some barbecue restaurants. The weather was hotter than hell, and these barbecue joints were packed with Memphis tourists and local folks. I’m not sure why banana pudding is a standard dessert at most barbecue restaurants, but I’m guessing that it’s because the flavor profile for salty pork and sweet custard fits together like puzzle pieces.
The first excursion on my banana pudding tour was Central BBQ in downtown Memphis. Customers crowded the tables, elbow-to-elbow and back-to-back. I purchased three pudding cups to go. Two cups were for my neighbors, Pastor Larry and Cozy McGhee. They are septuagenarians who have spent many years feasting on pudding at family reunions, church banquets, and fun, festive, homegoing repasts.
The sweet pudding at Central BBQ is a whipped mix of vanilla-flavored cream cheese, condensed milk, and chopped bananas that sits on a foundation of crushed pecan sandies. Where traditional vanilla wafers turn soft once set in custard, Central’s homemade cookies provide a nutty crunch in every bite. Pastor Larry called me that evening to say, “Where did you get that pudding? I need some more of that.”
Dutch Edwards, Central’s general manager, knows what makes Central’s pudding so popular.
“Consistency is our goal. The last bite is as good as the first,” he says.
“We also shop for our bananas. We only pick the best.”
My second excursion was a Sunday trip to One & Only BBQ on Kirby Parkway. It serves a family recipe courtesy of Millie Katzen. She and her husband, Alan, co-own the establishment. Millie’s pudding is cooked custard, sliced bananas, and vanilla wafers topped with a pillow of bronze, baked meringue. The first bite rests on the tongue like a cloud. The restaurant sells more than 7,000 servings each year.
“Love is the secret in my mother’s recipe,” says Millie, who was raised on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast. “I can taste it. Customers feel it.”
My penultimate stop was to visit with Bria Woods, owner of Elise Dessert Company. Bria sells her banana puddings through grocery stores around town and is experiencing booming success.
“I do well because I use premium cookies, real cream, and all fresh fruit,” she says.
Founded in 2020, Elise Dessert Company is a Memphis favorite. The whipped custard makes a sweet pudding that is silky smooth. It glistens like glass with soft layers of wafers. To satisfy various tastes, Bria makes 15 flavors of pudding. Most varieties are sold at 23 Kroger stores throughout the Mid-South. You can also purchase Elise Dessert Company’s pudding at Cordelia’s Market, High Point Grocery, and South Point Grocery.
My final stop was the Butteriffic Bakery & Cafe. Before I could step one foot in the door, Tamika Heard, the jubilant owner, cheered, “Welcome to Butteriffic!” Her small operation sits nestled behind the National Civil Rights Museum in downtown Memphis. Tamika comes from a family of bakers. Her parents, Maurice and Pamela Hill own the famous Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies. Tamika is paving her own road in the dessert world and makes her own unique pudding.
Served in a clear ice cream cup, Tamika’s banana pudding features pretty layers of cool, creamy custard; sliced bananas; and large nuggets of crunchy, homemade butter cookies.
If strawberries are your thing, there’s even a version that includes a strawberry layer. When my Aunt Verna tried Butteriffic pudding for the first time, she called and said, “If heaven is like this, Jesus can take me now.”
Here is what I know for sure. Whether you make it yourself or enjoy it from these Memphis businesses, banana pudding is down-home goodness and potluck perfect in every way.
Central BBQ
147 East Butler Avenue (and other locations)
One & Only BBQ
1779 Kirby Parkway (and other locations)
Butteriffic Bakery & Cafe
488 South Second Street
Alice Faye Duncan writes books for children. She is the author of I Gotta Sing, Yellow Dog Blues, and Just Like a Mama. @alicefayewrites
Kim Thomas is a lifestyle blogger and photographer based in Memphis. Launched in September 2010, her blog, KP Fusion, provides of-the-moment fashion, style, and beauty tips and trends with a little Memphis flavor thrown in. @kpfusion