A Brief History
On August 25, 1904, our greatest ice cream sundae was born, the invention of pharmacist apprentice David Strickler in Latrobe, Pennsylvania. Only 23 years old at the time, Strickler was experimenting with the soda and ice cream counter at the pharmacy he worked at (Tassel Pharmacy), and came up with the greatest of all ice cream treats, the mighty Banana Split. On this day each year we celebrate National Banana Split Day, a solemn occasion for this hungry author!
Digging Deeper
Normally made of 3 scoops of ice cream, 1 vanilla, 1 chocolate, and 1 strawberry, covered in hot fudge, pineapple, and strawberries, smothered in whipped cream, topped with chopped nuts and Maraschino cherries and of course, flanked on both sides by a half banana “split” down the center, longways. Traditionally, a banana split is served in its own special “banana boat” elongated tub. Of course, you can vary the ingredients to your liking, and a vertical presentation is also possible. Or try making a milk shake out of the sundae, or a pureed version similar to a Dairy Queen “Blizzard.”
Of course, Latrobe considers itself the birthplace of the banana split, and Dr. Strickler ended up buying the pharmacy and calling it Strickler’s Drug Store. The place still exists, but without the soda fountain, which had fallen into bad repair and was replaced by other displays. Latrobe, Pennsylvania is also the proud home of the late golfer, Arnold Palmer, comedian-actor Jackie Mason, and television show host Fred Rogers, as well as Rolling Rock Beer. (The brewery now makes Samuel Adams, Duquesne and Iron City beers.) This resume is impressive for a city of only 8,000 or so people. (Note: Although the National Ice Cream Retailers Association (NICRA) has recognized Latrobe as the birthplace of the banana split, I could not find an actual “birthday” date for when it was invented, although the year 1904 is cited. I chose to use August 25, 1904 because August 25 is National Banana Split Day.)
The national drugstore chain, Walgreens, is normally credited with spreading the banana split across the country, making the ice cream treat its signature dessert at its lunch counters and soda fountains. From 1968 to 1970, a Saturday morning children’s show called The Banana Splits Adventure Hour featured a rock band of four furry animal characters.
Since a typical banana split is between 800 and 1500 calories, often with 30 or more grams of fat, you would be wise not to indulge your passion for the delicious snack too often, or risk looking something like the author of this article! Question for students (and subscribers): Is the Banana Split your favorite dessert? Your favorite ice cream treat? Tell us, and if you have a special way of making your own split, let us know that, too, in the comments section below this article.
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Historical Evidence
For more information, please see…
Mac, A B. Banana Split Pie: An Old Favorite Reinvented (The Dessert Series). 2014.
The featured image in this article, a photograph by Newsum (talk | contribs) of a traditional banana split as served at Cabot’s Ice Cream and Restaurant in Newtonville, Massachusetts, is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
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