The Banana Split: A History
Ice cream is definitely one of the best desserts around. If you’re familiar with the treat, you undoubtedly love everything about this delectable, creamy, refreshing way to end your meal. With so many ice cream flavors out there, including almost any flavor you could imagine (even some crazy flavors that you might not ever think of when it comes to ice cream), ice cream can satisfy almost anyone’s sweet tooth or craving.
There’s even one particular ice-cream-centric dessert that adds fruit to the mix for an even more unique, yet classic, ice cream dish. That dessert is none other than the banana split!
Whether you’re a fan of bananas, ice cream, or both, this treat is sure to hit the spot. Banana splits have been a classic way to eat ice cream for decades, and they continue to be popular—especially at classic diners and soda fountains across the United States of America.
But just where did this dessert idea come from? Who had the brilliant plan to serve ice cream with a banana, and how did the concept become such an American staple? Read on to find out!
A Controversial Past
Surprisingly enough, the banana split has a bit of a controversial past. Seeing that might make you think of something scandalous that occurred when the banana split was first created, but controversial in this case simply means that the origins of the banana split—and more specifically, exactly who created the dessert—is where the controversy has come up.
As with many culinary delights, there are multiple parties who lay claim to the original banana split recipe but no definitive proof of exactly where the banana split was first created. Nevertheless, there are some strong cases that hail from many different areas of the US, including Latrobe, Pennsylvania; Boston, Massachusetts; and Wilmington Ohio.
The Home of the Banana Split
While we can’t say for certain which town is the originator of the banana split, one of the stronger cases comes from Latrobe, Pennsylvania which boasts that it is home to the original banana split. The oldest mention of the banana split comes from Latrobe, and there is compelling evidence to support the town’s claim.
David Strickler, also known as Doc Strickler, worked at a local drugstore in Latrobe, Tassell Pharmacy, in 1904 while attending the University of Pittsburgh. Tassell Pharmacy, like many drugstores and pharmacies at the time, had a soda fountain that served up delicious and refreshing floats, sundaes, and ice cream varieties. Stickler reportedly came up with the idea to split a banana down the middle (lengthwise, of course) and top the fruit with a scoop of strawberry, a scoop of vanilla, and a scoop of chocolate ice cream. Strickler then topped the ice cream with three different varieties of toppings and sauces, then finished the concoction with a hefty dose of whipped cream.
The idea was an ingenious one but was difficult to serve at first. Most ice cream shops and soda fountains didn’t use dishes that could fit an entire banana plus all that ice cream. This is why Strickler asked for help from a glassmaker in a neighboring town, Grapeville, to create an ice cream dish that could hold all the sweet, creamy goodness of the banana split easily.
The story goes that Strickler started serving the banana concoction to the public when a college student walked into Tassell Pharmacy one day and asked for a unique treat. The combination of ice cream, banana, and toppings apparently went over quite well and became a hit with everyone in town. Strickler even continued to work at the pharmacy as time went on and eventually purchased the place and continued to serve his creation.
The Other Contenders
As previously mentioned, while the oldest reported creator of the banana split hailed from Pennsylvania, there are other contenders in Boston, Massachusetts, and Wilmington, Ohio, though both of these cities are credited with the invention later than Strickler’s invention.
In Boston, the banana split reportedly debuted during an ice cream convention (sounds like a delicious convention to attend if you ask us!) The inventor who debuted his version of the banana split at said conference in 1905 was Stinson Thomas. As you may have already noticed, 1905 is a year after Stickler reportedly created the banana split back in Pennsylvania.
The other location, Wilmington, Ohio, which claims to be the home of the banana split says it was created in the city at an even later date—1907. In Wilmington, the creation of the banana split is credited to Ernest Hazard. Even though the date is later, Wilmington holds fast to their assertion that they are the home of the original banana split, claiming that Hazard created the treat before 1907—and before Strickler in 1904—but that it merely debuted at a later date. They even throw an annual Banana Split Festival in celebration of being the home of the banana split.
Differences in Banana Splits
Regardless of the birthplace of the banana split, there are some ingredients all banana split recipes have in common, and some that differ between the reported homes of the banana split.
In Latrobe, the banana split features a banana sliced in half with chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream on top. To top everything off, chocolate sauce, nuts, whipped cream, and a maraschino cherry are added on top of the ice cream.
In Boston, the same banana base is featured, but the only ice cream flavor on top of the banana is vanilla—and only two scoops, not three. To top off the dessert, cherries go on each scoop of ice cream and peaches divide each scoop from the next. Crushed nuts are a common topper in Boston, too.
Finally, in Wilmington, the banana, chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla are the same, but crushed pineapple is added as a topping. An additional note on the Wilmington banana split is that the ice cream flavors can vary quite a bit, too, and often include caramel sauce as a topping.
Wherever the banana split originated, and whichever version of the banana split is your favorite, there’s no doubt that it’s an American classic.