National Banana Split Day recognizes the sweet ice cream treat served with a banana, whipped cream, and any number of toppings…the most important, of course, BANANAS!
As for where this glorious concoction came from, the classic “banana split” was born in a pharmacy rather than an ice cream parlor back in 1904. The inspired invention of 23-year-old pharmacist apprentice David Evans Strickler (who enjoyed experimenting with new soda fountain sundaes in his free time), this dessert combo caught on like wildfire among the college crowd in Latrobe, Pennsylvania.
It became so popular that they could charge customers double the price of a normal sundae, which was 5 cents at the time. The split is a variation of the traditional ice cream sundae and is usually served in a special dish called a banana boat. It’s easy to make, but you’ll need quite a few ingredients!
🍌 The Original Latrobe Banana Split
- 1 banana, split lengthwise
- 1 scoop vanilla ice cream
- 1 scoop chocolate ice cream
- 1 scoop strawberry ice cream
- Pineapple topping
- Strawberry topping
- Chocolate syrup
- Whipped cream
- Chopped nuts
- Maraschino cherries
Put the three scoops in a row between the banana halves, add the three toppings, then whipped cream, nuts and cherries. Strickler even helped popularize the distinctive long “banana boat” dish used to serve it.
And here's a great trivia nugget for 3WS: Strickler charged 10 cents for it — twice what an ordinary sundae cost. Students from nearby Saint Vincent College helped spread the word about his creation.
One interesting wrinkle: sources differ on the literal 1904 toppings. Historical accounts describe Strickler's earliest version as including strawberries, raspberries, crushed pineapple, marshmallow syrup, nuts and black cherries. The familiar chocolate/strawberry/pineapple version is the standardized classic that evolved from it