"At the end of a hearty meal, most of us crave a little something sweet. It's been that way for centuries. The ancient Egyptians, for example, ate boiled mallow plants with honey. During the medieval era, people often indulged in poached pears cooked in wine with mulberries. During the reign of Queen Victoria, people would frequently indulge in treats like treacle tart and sponge pudding. And the 1950s? Well, that was a time of baked Alaska, coffee cake, and banana cream pie."
"Baked Alaska was an iconic 1950s dessert, but it wasn't actually invented in this decade. One commonly accepted theory is that it was created at New York steakhouse Delmonico's years before, in the 19th century (fun fact, this is also where wedge salad was served for the first time). Initially created to celebrate the 1867 Alaska Purchase, the original name of the dessert wasn't baked Alaska, but Alaska, Florida."
Sweet desserts have accompanied dinners for centuries, from ancient Egyptians eating boiled mallow with honey to medieval poached pears and Victorian treacle tart and sponge pudding. The 1950s featured iconic items such as baked Alaska, coffee cake, and banana cream pie, alongside vintage staples like Jell-O salad. Baked Alaska traces to Delmonico's and the 1867 Alaska Purchase; it layers ice cream with sponge cake and browned meringue, requiring careful preparation. Midcentury home cooks often relied on Betty Crocker cookbooks for recipes, which helped popularize many theatrical and now-retro desserts.
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