2 hours
Charlotte: Cavatelli Pasta Making Class at a Local Brewery
Make handmade cavatelli and fresh pesto at a lively Charlotte brewery. Knead, shape and sauce your way to a seriously satisfying Italian meal.
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Banana pudding is layered Nilla wafers, sliced bananas and vanilla custard, topped with meringue or whipped cream, the canonical Birmingham barbecue dessert; in United States we have verified places to eat it in Birmingham, Charlotte, Chattanooga and Nashville.
Banana pudding · Birmingham
Banana pudding is layered Nilla wafers, sliced bananas and vanilla custard, topped with meringue or whipped cream, the canonical Birmingham barbecue dessert.
Banana pudding became the canonical Southern barbecue dessert through the 20th century, with Nilla wafers (Nabisco, since 1898) and the post-war condensed-milk shortcut recipe popularized through the 1950s and 1960s. Saw's BBQ runs the canonical Birmingham version with crushed Nilla wafers on top; Niki's West runs the steam-table cafeteria version with custard and whipped cream. Eagle's Restaurant in Smithfield runs a soul-food version with meringue.
Where to eat in Birmingham:
- Saw's BBQ
- Saw's Soul Kitchen
- Niki's West
Where to eat Banana pudding in Birmingham: the editor picks
Banana pudding · Charlotte
Banana pudding is the layered Southern dessert of vanilla custard, sliced bananas and Nilla wafers, often topped with whipped cream or meringue and served.
Banana pudding emerged in the late 19th century when bananas became affordable through the Southern port trade with United Fruit Company shipments from Central America. Nabisco's 1903 introduction of Nilla wafers cemented the canonical layered presentation, and the dish remains the standing Carolina dessert at BBQ counters and church suppers. Charlotte's Mert's Heart and Soul and Lupie's Cafe run the canonical Charlotte versions.
Where to eat in Charlotte:
- Sweet Lew's BBQ
- Mert's Heart and Soul
Where to eat Banana pudding in Charlotte: the editor picks
Banana pudding · Chattanooga
Layers of vanilla custard, sliced banana and wafer biscuits under whipped cream or meringue, the non-negotiable dessert of Chattanooga's Southern tables from fried chicken joints to barbecue counters.
Banana pudding colonised the South once refrigerated rail brought cheap bananas through ports like New Orleans and grocers' wafers met home custard. It settled into church cookbooks by the mid-20th century and never left the region's meat-and-threes and barbecue houses. In Chattanooga it is the default ending at fried chicken and barbecue rooms alike, served in a scoop from a deep tray, the wafers softened to cake somewhere overnight.
Where to eat in Chattanooga:
- Champy's Famous Fried Chicken
Where to eat Banana pudding in Chattanooga: the editor picks
Banana pudding · Nashville
Layered dessert of vanilla wafers, banana slices and from-scratch vanilla custard, topped with meringue or whipped cream. Cold service.
Banana pudding migrated South from Northern dessert columns in the late 1800s. The Nashville version that Arnold's, Loveless and most meat-and-three counters serve uses Nabisco Nilla wafers (Northern brand, fully assimilated), home-cooked vanilla custard and ripe bananas. It is the standard dessert closer at a meat-and-three. Hattie B's sells it by the cup as the heat-killer chaser to hot chicken.
Where to eat in Nashville:
- Arnold's Country Kitchen
- Hattie B's Hot Chicken
- Loveless Cafe
Where to eat Banana pudding in Nashville: the editor picks
Book food experiences in Charlotte
2 hours
Charlotte: Pasta Making Cooking Class at a Local Brewery
Roll, cut and cook fresh pappardelle paired with a rich Bolognese sauce in this hands-on Charlotte cooking class. Learn classic Italian techniques and enjoy a comforti...
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2 hours
Charlotte: Sushi Making Cooking Class at a Local Brewery
Roll your own spicy tuna and veggie sushi from scratch in this hands-on Charlotte cooking class. Learn how to make seasoned sushi rice, roll like a pro and enjoy the s...
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