Memphis banana pudding is vanilla wafer cookies layered with sliced bananas, vanilla custard and whipped cream, a Southern soul food dessert and BBQ joint standard.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Banana pudding entered Southern home cooking in the late 1800s after bananas became affordable. By the 1940s it was a staple of Memphis lunch counters and church suppers. The Four Way Restaurant has served it as a Sunday dessert since 1946, and most Memphis BBQ joints carry it as the closing sweet. Whipped cream caught on as the topping in the 1960s, replacing meringue.
Common allergens: Dairy, Eggs, Wheat
Tip from the editors. Use Nilla wafer cookies; substitutes don't soften right. Whip the cream just before serving so it stays light.
This is the TableJourney editorial recipe, modelled on the canonical bistro / counter version. The first place to try the dish in its city of origin is below.
The Four Way on Mississippi Boulevard in South Memphis is the city's defining Black-owned soul food room since 1946, where MLK ate but most tourists never go.
Why locals love it: South Memphis sits off the visitor track; the room rewards those who make the drive.
Tip: Lunch only Wednesday to Saturday. Save room for sweet potato pie.
Alcenia's in the Pinch District north of downtown Memphis runs Betty Joyce Chester-Tamayo's soul food and her famous door-greeting hug since 2002.
Why locals love it: Tourists rarely walk this far north of Beale; B.J.'s hug is what brings everyone back.
Tip: Counter service, cash preferred. Closed Sundays and Mondays. B.J. greets every diner.
Central BBQ Downtown in Memphis runs the city's most reliable dry-rub ribs and pulled pork from a casual counter across from the National Civil Rights Museum.
Signature: Dry-rub pork ribs, Pulled pork sandwich
Order: Half slab of dry ribs with a smoked turkey sandwich on the side.
Tip: Lines from noon to 14:00; order online and pick up at the express counter to skip the queue.
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