The Banana Split: A Rich History | Pennsylvania Center for the Book

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A banner in Latrobe boasting of being the home of the banana split
courtesy of Rob Matheny
A savory reward on a hot summer ’ sulfur night and the perfect dessert to share on a date ; what gave the banana split such a sweet reputation ? This dessert is not just a treat for the tongue, but it besides has a rich history topped a fair amount of controversy. The agitation over who truly invented the banana split has gone on for quite some time, but it may never be determined ( or accepted, depending on one ’ sulfur point of view ) who invented this delectable dainty .
The strongest case for the entitle of “ Home of the Banana Split ” belongs to Latrobe, Westmoreland County. not only has the original letter by Latrobe drugstore owner and godhead David Strickler been exposed, but the Greensburg Tribune-Review documented the invention equally well. In the article, Rachel Smith gives credit for the first banana cleave to David Stickler who “ had sliced a banana in two, added scoop of strawberry, vanilla and chocolate frost cream, three kinds of season toppings and whipped cream ” in 1904. This ingenuity had allowed for the initiation of the delicious dessert, but there was no proper manner for it to be served. This prompted Strickler to elicit outside help from a glassmaker in Grapeville who created the first “ banana boat ” to house his masterpiece .
David Strickler, a.k.a. Doc Strickler, has been crowned the king of the banana split dessert by Pennsylvanians and Americans alike. Strickler was attending the University of Pittsburgh at the time. thirty miles from Pittsburgh, Strickler worked as a pop twitch for Tassell Pharmacy at 805 Ligonier Street in Latrobe. During this time, pharmacies besides had sodium carbonate fountains which served floats, ice-cream sundae, and different varieties of ice cream.

In the early 1900s, the pop fountain commercial enterprise flourished and was a very popular sociable descry. The employees ( besides known as sodium carbonate jerks ) were seen by the public as masters of their craft. The sodium carbonate jerky ’ mho duties entailed making ice cream and mixing sodium carbonate drinks. Strickler recalled in an interview with Suzanne Martinson of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, “ It was a fun subcontract and a big opportunity to meet girls. ” As the floor goes, one day in 1904, a college scholar entered Tassell Pharmacy and asked Strickler for something “ different. ” This twenty dollar bill three year old entrepreneur had many possible ingredients in front of him ; all he had to do was put his resource to work. Voila ! The Banana Split was born ! David Strickler continued to work at Tassell Pharmacy for many years. After mastering liveliness as a pop tug, he finally bought the Pharmacy. Upon taking ownership, the location was renamed Strickler ’ s Pharmacy .
A Traditional Banana Split
Newsum
Despite compelling attest establishing “ Doc ” Strickler as the creator, both Boston and Wilmington, Ohio continually show up on the radar when discussing the history of the banana schism. These cities tried to gain recognition for creating the foremost banana separate very concisely after Strickler had formally created the dessert. The Soda Fountain Magazine wrote an article declaring that the banana cleave made its first debut at an frosting skim convention in Boston. This league, in Boston, credited Stinson Thomas as the inventor in 1905, one year after Strickler ’ second documented claim to the dessert. Boston has since ceded the title over to Strickler and does no longer pride itself on being the home of the banana divide .
Latrobe has faced dogged rival from Wilmington, Ohio, on the interrogate of the origin of the banana split. This competition has persisted for about a hundred. Wilmington has not been volition to concede the beginning of the banana separate, even though Ernest Hazard, “ the godhead, ” proclaimed the give birth date of the dessert as 1907. Regardless of any attest or documents, Wilmington holds fast to the notion that Hazard created the banana split before Strickler. They have continued to host celebrations that proclaim this fact and have adapted an annual Banana Split Festival in its respect. The festival began in June 1997, and they have continued to celebrate it always since.

latrobe does not have an annual festival celebrating the ice-cream sundae, but in 2004, they had a Banana Split Bash. This celebration marked the centennial of the banana separate. The Bash was held in a park and the festivities included a day of live music and, of course, banana splits. The University of Pittsburgh besides celebrated their celebrated alumnus on this sidereal day by distributing the dessert across campus at an event called “ From Pitt Came the Split. ”
Valley Dairy restaurant range president Joseph “ Ice Cream Joe ” Greubel notes that the National Ice Cream Retailers Association has declared that Latrobe is the birthplace of the banana burst. It should be noted, however, that the Valley Dairy chain is located in Westmoreland County .
A banana split more in the style of Wilmington
Tasha Morris
A traditional Doc Strickler banana split is composed of a single banana burst in half lengthways with each half strategically placed on opposing sides of the dish. Scoops of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry ice cream are placed between the banana slices. The ice cream is then covered with chocolate syrup, whipped cream, nuts, and a cerise on top. If the bananas are cut crosswise, the dish would then be a “ banana royale. ”

The Boston interpretation of the banana rip has many modifications with its training when compared to Strickler ’ second version. The Boston recipe is composed of entirely vanilla ice cream and alone two scoops of ice rink cream ( rather of three ). Cherries were placed on top of both scoops of ice cream and peaches were used as dividers between the scoops. Pistachios and crushed walnuts were besides used to top off this adaptation of the ice-cream sundae .
Wilmington had a interpretation that differed slightly from the master Latrobe recipe equally well. Although the Wilmington adaptation used three scoops of ice cream as Strickler did, the variations of frosting cream flavors were not documented. This version besides included break down pineapple as a top, which is not part of Strickler ’ s master purpose. As time has passed, “ traditional ” banana splits have come to include cocoa, strawberry, and pineapple sauces. Wilmington splits, however, besides can include caramel sauce .
When Doc Strickler premiered the split, it was merely a humongous ten-spot cents ! While this may sound like a bargain in nowadays ’ s economy, at the time it was actually quite expensive and was double the monetary value of other ice-cream sundae. Students from nearby Saint Vincent College were credited in spreading awareness of the banana split across the ball. The college even hosted a make your own banana split buffet on special occasions such as parents ’ weekend and the beginning of school. When the students traveled to their hometowns on vacation, they shared the new universe with syndicate and friends, increasing its popularity nationally and making the banana split a new favorite everywhere. And a favored it has remained for over a century .

Sources:

  • Baggett, Nancy. “Late, but Great, Banana Split Centenary.” National Public Radio. 6 June 2009. 11 Feb. 2010 .
  • “Banana Split Began in Latrobe.” Pittsburgh Post Gazette 26 July 1996: C4.
  • “Banana Split Turns 100.” USAToday. 24 Aug. 2004. Gannett, Co. 11 Feb. 2010 .
  • DeFlitch, Gerard. “Born In Pennsylvania.” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. 4 Apr. 2004. 10 June 2011 .
  • Smith, Rachel. “Latrobe’s banana split a sweet ‘Taste of America’.” Greensburg Tribune-Review. 22 Jun. 2006.
  • “The History of the Golden Age of Soda Fountains.” Drugstore Museum. 2004. Soderlund Village Drug. Feb. 11, 2010 .
  • Wissolik, Richard D. Ice Cream Joe the Valley Dairy Story. Ann Arbor, MI: Sheridan Books, 2004.
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Category : KOREAN FOOD

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