James Dean was known for his rugged Midwestern charm, but the iconic actor moved around as a kid. Along the way, he apparently picked up a taste for an iconic Southern dish.
The legendary leading man of Rebel Without A Cause, who was 24 when he died, moved from Indiana to California as a kid, and then returned to Indiana to live on his aunt and uncle’s farm. He later attended Northern Indiana’s Fairmount High School and, according to his school newspaper, his favorite food was actually not a Midwest, but a Southern specialty: banana salad.
That love for banana salad came courtesy of Dean’s Aunt Ortense. “He liked comfort foods,” Greg Swenson, author of Recipes for Rebels, recounted to Eat Drink Films. Banana salad isn’t well known outside Southern circles, but it’s actually not a salad in the traditional sense. It can be savory or sweet like banana pudding, and there are different ways of making it.
So, what’s the deal with James Dean’s favorite dish and what makes it so tasty? Here’s what you need to know.
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What Makes James Dean’s Favorite Dish So Great?
There are a few reasons why banana salad is a hit with so many Southerners (and James Dean). For starters, it’s really versatile. TikTok is full of banana salad recipes, and each is a little different. Some people just use a combo of sliced bananas and peanuts with a savory sauce, while others mix in a range of fruits and custard.
Dean’s favorite banana salad is a take on banana pudding. It uses sliced fresh bananas layered with pudding (called “dressing”), and crushed peanuts for a creamy, salty, crunchy treat. Banana salad can be made in a large serving dish or in individual cups for a parfait-style treat, making it a fun recipe for a party.
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How to Make James Dean’s Banana Salad
Again, there is some variation here. But this is the way Aunt Ortense used to make the treat for Dean, according to Allrecipes.
Whisk sugar with a couple of spoonfuls of flour together in a saucepan. Whisk in some milk and heat the mixture until it the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat.
In bowl, beat in egg. Slowly pour half of the warm mixture into the bowl while beating the egg, then pour the mixture into the saucepan. Cook, whisking it constantly, until the mixture starts to thicken. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the mixture to a bowl. Chill the pudding in the refrigerator until chilled and set.
Slice two to three bananas into coins, layering them at the bottom of a serving dish. Sprinkle with chopped peanuts, then spoon half of the chilled pudding on top. Add another layer of bananas, peanuts and pudding. Serve the dish cold.
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