American cuisine is rich in flavors with dishes for all tastes, from the salty and spicy to the sweet. And the latter is precisely what we will know below.
The following list is of the most popular typical American desserts. The 10 sweets that you are sure to try when visiting North America.
1. Banana Split
Typical dessert in the American confectionery popular in cafes, ice cream parlors and restaurants.
Its name comes from the way the banana is cut, since “split” means to divide.
Its origin has two versions. One from 1904 when a 23-year-old (Latrobe, Philadelphia) first served three scoops of ice cream on a banana divided into two parts, dipped in syrup and served with fruit.
The other version is from 1907. It suggests that the ice cream was created by a baking contest to attract college students in the city of Wilmington, Ohio.
2. Apple Pie
The preparation of the apple pie begins with the harvest of the fruit, which is then removed from the skin, cut into segments, covered with sugar and cinnamon and baked on a base of flour or puff pastry.
The combination of apple with cinnamon gives off a very pleasant smell. Once baked, it is an explosion of flavors on the palate. If you like, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
In some states of the American union it is prepared mainly during the fall.
3. S’mores
The authorship of this simple dessert is attributed to Loreta Scott Crew, a girl scout who, with other scouts, lit a campfire and enjoyed this famous snack, which is nothing more than a cookie sandwich filled with bonbons and dark chocolate.
Its name comes from the contraction of the words “some more”, which in English means: a little more. It is one of the most traditional desserts in the United States and Canada.
4. Fried Twinky
It is a filled pastry skewered on a stick that is submerged in a pot of hot oil. It eats like a banderilla.
It is common to see people walking while enjoying this dessert at fairs or state holidays in the United States.
Although it is very simple, it is also typical of American cuisine.
5. Cake Lane
Layered flour cake with a creamy filling and a touch of liquor, famous for being named in “To Kill a Mockingbird”, a novel by the American, Harper Lee, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1961.
As recounted in a chapter of the novel, “Miss Maudie Atkinson baked a Lane cake as a housewarming present for Aunt Alexandra.”
The creation of this, one of the typical desserts of the United States, is attributed to Emma Rylander Lane, originally from the state of Alabama.
6. Lemon Pie
The citrus flavor of the lemon combined with the sweetness of a creamy filling based on condensed milk and eggs, on a layer of cookies, make up a rich combination for any palate.
Its origin as an American dessert is attributed to a Florida cook who first prepared it in the 19th century.
Lemon pie is also a classic in French and English cuisine, where it has been prepared since medieval times.
7. Chess cake (Chess Pie)
The origins of this dessert go back to the state of Virginia where it was made for the first time, despite the fact that its recipe comes from England, according to the chef, James Beard, in his book, American Cookery (1972).
It consists of a custard based on eggs, milk, cheese, sugar and vanilla, baked on a base of flour and butter. Over time, other ingredients have been integrated into its preparation, such as lemon, chocolate and coconut.
8. Gooey Butter Cake
A thick consistency coffee cake dusted with sugar, popular in St. Louis, Missouri.
It is believed that it was created by mistake of a German baker when trying to make a dough for a traditional cake, he reversed the amounts of butter and flour. This is how it emerged in the 30’s.
9. Hummingbird Cake
Supposedly Jamaican cake that became popular in North Carolina in the 1970s, when the recipe was published in Southern Living magazine.
Spices, banana and pineapple, are its main ingredients. They are mixed with flour, butter and egg and decorated with a cream cheese glazed bitumen.
10. Cheesecake New York
It is believed that cheesecake has its origins in ancient Greece and that it was enjoyed by the athletes who participated in the Olympic Games in 776 BC. However, it was the Romans who, after their conquest, spread its preparation throughout Europe.
European immigrants to New York brought this recipe with them and although the cheeses came from Europe, it was soon “tropicalized” after a French cheesemaker accidentally created cream cheese.
It is precisely the texture of the cream cheese combined with sugar, eggs, vanilla and milk, mounted on a bed of crackers, which gives this one of the most famous typical desserts in the United States a unique flavor.
The story behind a recipe makes it a more interesting dish, which increases the curiosity to try it. Perhaps this touch of mystery is the ingredient that gives it the point to savor it even more.
These were the most popular typical desserts of the United States for its citizens. You will always be invited to try one of them.
See also:
- We leave you our guide with the 10 typical drinks of the United States that you must try
- Meet the 40 tourist places in Colorado, Denver that you should know
- See our guide with the 50 best tourist places in the world that you have to visit sometime
