Banana cream pie

Banana cream pie is a variation of a cream pie which includes sliced bananas.

History and background

Bananas "took the American market by storm in the 1880s" according to food historian Lynn Olver as quoted by the New York Times.^[1] According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first use of 'cream pie' dates to the 1810s.^[2]

The dish dates to the end of the 19th century. A recipe for a banana pie, in which sliced bananas were placed into a baked pie crust and baked to soften the bananas, then topped with whipped cream, appeared in the 1901 Woman's Exchange Cook Book by Minnie Palmer.^[3]^[4]^[5] A 1906 recipe in The Blue Ribbon Cook Book calls for the addition of custard on top of the bananas with no further baking.^[3]^[4]

Classic recipes typically call for fresh bananas and custard in a prebaked pie crust which is then topped with whipped cream.^[3]^[6]

Ingredients and assembly

Typically ingredients include a pastry crust which has been blind-baked or a graham cracker crust, which is then filled with bananas and custard or pastry cream (a cooked mixture of milk, sugar, vanilla, eggs, butter) and topped with crème fraiche or whipped cream.^[5]

Popularity

The dish is known throughout the US but is most common in Midwestern cuisine and Southern cuisine.^[5] As of 2007 it was also popular in Los Angeles, according to the New York Times.^[5]^[1] According to the South Florida Reporter it was a favorite of US soldiers in 1951.^[4]^[5]

Variations

Banoffee pie, a British version which adds toffee^[4]
Black bottom banana pie, in which a layer of chocolate -- the black bottom -- is placed on the crust before adding the bananas^[4]

Similar dishes

Banana pudding, a dish in Southern cuisine in which bananas are layered over vanilla wafers, then topped with custard and often whipped cream.

References

^ ^a ^b Steinhauer, Jennifer (14 January 2007). "L.A.'s Top Banana . . ". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
^ "Cream pie". Oxford English Dictionary. Archived from the original on 2024-04-15. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
^ ^a ^b ^c Razon, Kristina (6 June 2022). "Banana Cream Pie". Serious Eats. Archived from the original on 2024-01-15. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "The Banana Cream Pie Recipe First Appeared In The 1901 Women's Exchange Cook Book". South Florida Reporter. 2022-03-01. Archived from the original on 2022-12-05. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Beck, Katherine (2022-09-01). "The 19th Century Origins Of Banana Cream Pie". Tasting Table. Archived from the original on 2023-10-03. Retrieved 2024-04-13.
^ Hamel, P. J. "Banana Cream Pie | King Arthur Baking". King Arthur Baking. Archived from the original on 2023-12-01. Retrieved 2024-04-13.

[:0-1] Steinhauer, Jennifer (14 January 2007). "L.A.'s Top Banana . . ". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 11 August 2023. Retrieved 13 April 2024.

[2] "Cream pie". Oxford English Dictionary. Archived from the original on 2024-04-15. Retrieved 2024-04-13.

[:1-3] Razon, Kristina (6 June 2022). "Banana Cream Pie". Serious Eats. Archived from the original on 2024-01-15. Retrieved 2024-04-13.

[:2-4] "The Banana Cream Pie Recipe First Appeared In The 1901 Women's Exchange Cook Book". South Florida Reporter. 2022-03-01. Archived from the original on 2022-12-05. Retrieved 2024-04-13.

[:3-5] Beck, Katherine (2022-09-01). "The 19th Century Origins Of Banana Cream Pie". Tasting Table. Archived from the original on 2023-10-03. Retrieved 2024-04-13.

[6] Hamel, P. J. "Banana Cream Pie | King Arthur Baking". King Arthur Baking. Archived from the original on 2023-12-01. Retrieved 2024-04-13.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

v t e American pies
Sweet	Angel pie Apple crisp Apple pie Atlantic Beach pie Banana cream pie Bean pie Blackberry pie Black bottom pie Blueberry pie Buttermilk pie Butterscotch pie Cashew pie Cherry pie Chess pie Chocolate haupia pie Chiffon pie Cream pie Derby pie Desperation pies Fried pie Grape pie Grasshopper pie Green tomato pie Key lime pie Lemon ice box pie Maple custard pie Maraca pie Millionaire pie Mississippi mud pie Peanut pie Pecan pie Pumpkin pie Sweet potato haupia pie Rhubarb pie Shaker lemon pie Shoofly pie Strawberry pie Strawberry rhubarb pie Sweet potato pie Sugar cream pie Walnut pie	Pumpkin pie
Savory	Crawfish pie Pot pie Moravian chicken pie Natchitoches meat pie Tomato pie Clam pie
Snack pies	Hostess Little Debbie Tasty Baking Company
Frozen pies	Marie Callender's Mrs. Smith's Sara Lee Centerville Pie Company

v t e Bananas and plantains
Culinary usage	Alloco Banana beer Banana boat Banana bread Banana cake Banana chips Banana cue Banana custard Banana cream pie Banana flour Bananas Foster Banana fritter Banana ketchup Banana leaf Banana powder Banana pudding Banana split Banana wine Banania Bánh chuối Banoffee pie Boli Cayeye Chapo Chifle Flying Jacob Frozen banana Ginanggang Ginataang saba Mangú Maruya Matoke Minatamis na saging Mofongo Nagasari Nilagang saging Nilupak Pinasugbo Pritong saging Saba con hielo Tacacho Tonto Turón Tostones
Related topics	Banana, DR Congo Banana equivalent dose Banana, Kiribati Banana paper Banana peel Banana plantation Bananadine BanLec Cooking banana Green banana List of banana and plantain diseases List of banana cultivars List of banana dishes
Organizations	Banana Framework Agreement Banana Research Station, Kannara International Banana Museum MusaNet ProMusa Taiwan Banana Research Institute World Banana Forum
Category Production