The calendar loves pie days and National Banana Cream Pie Day is no exception! On March 2nd, be sure to get your slice of one of America’s all-time favorite creampies.
- 6000 BC – The ancient Egyptians make pie-like creations called galettes using oats, wheat, rye, and barley, with a honey-filled crust.
- 6th Century – Bananas first appeared in written history in the 6th century B.C.
- 12th Century – The crust of meat pies in 12th century England was called ‘coffyn.’
- 1620 – European Pilgrims bring their favorite family pie recipes with them to America.
- 1700s – American women cement the tradition of serving pies with every meal and thus the pie becomes an important part of the American way of life.
- 19th Century – The traditional custard pie was modified into a recipe that resulted in an appetizing and flavorful banana cream pie. Dating back to the 19th century, banana cream pie found its way into recipe books.
- 1901 – The Woman’s Exchange Cook Book of 1901: “Fill a pie shell, already baked, with sliced bananas and powdered sugar. Put in the oven for a few minutes until the fruit softens. Very nice so, but far better to cover the top with whipped cream and serve it at once. Flavor with lemon juice.”
- 1904 – David Evans Strickler invented the banana split in 1904 when he was a 23-year-old employee at the Tassel Pharmacy soda fountain in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
- 1906 – The Blue Ribbon Cook Book provided a banana and custard filling, but the two were not blended together into today’s familiar, creamy banana filling. Instead, sliced bananas lined the bottom of the crust, and the custard was poured over it.
- 1950 – we get a version covered with whipped cream and toasted coconut. But the blended filling of creamy banana pudding? Our friends at FoodTimeline.org, which provided this history, don’t have it. Our mom, who was baking at the time, says “late 1950s, early 1960s.”
- 1951 – soldiers of the United States Armed Services ranked the banana cream pie as one of their favorites.
- An English variation is called Banoffee Pie – a merger of banana and toffee.
- Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout.
- Bananas can help defend against anemia.
- If your banana cream pie has a “black bottom”, that means that it has chocolate on the bottom!
- The typical banana cream pie will stay good for up to 4-days in the refrigerator.
- Bananas float in water, as do apples and watermelons.
- The International Banana Club Museum, located in Mecca, Calif. (just south of Palm Springs), houses the world’s largest collection devoted to any one fruit. It contains more than 17,000 banana items, most of which have been donated by members.
- More than 100 billion bananas are eaten every year in the world, making them the fourth most popular agricultural product.
- Americans eat an average of 27 pounds of bananas per person every year.
- More than 96 percent of American households buy bananas at least once a month.
- 51 percent of bananas are eaten for breakfast at home.
- The highest average per capita consumption of bananas in the world is in Ecuador, where residents eat an average of 218 pounds of bananas per person every year.
- More songs have been written about bananas than about any other fruit.
- The banana is actually classified as a berry.
- Bananas may be considered a mood enhancer because it contains the amino acid, tryptophan and Vitamin B6 that help the body produce serotonin.
- Bananas can help lower blood pressure and protect heart health due to high potassium and low salt content.
- Humans share about 50% of our DNA with bananas.
- A single banana is called a finger, and a bunch of bananas is called a hand.
- New Mexico has a Pie Town – Pie Town is an actual place in the U.S., and it’s famous for its pies.
- Around 186 million pies are sold in grocery stores in the U.S. every year.
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