On this episode of Sprung On Food, host Kae Sprung talks with actor and writer David Crabb about pavlova as his favorite dessert, tied to memories of meringue-topped banana pudding, pandemic comfort, and a friend’s homemade versions (classic fruit and custard, plus salted caramel chocolate). Kae traces pavlova’s origins to ballerina Anna Pavlova’s 1920s tours, links it to the Austrian Spanische Windtorte as a meringue-and-cream ancestor, and notes cornstarch’s role, possibly popularized by Maizena marketing.

The episode covers the Australia–New Zealand “pavlova war,” its rise as a celebration staple, U.S. equivalents like pie, and pop-culture appearances from stamps to Bluey and Real Housewives.

You can follow and support this week's guest, David Crabb here:

https://www.instagram.com/thedavidcrabb/

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Website: http://katherinesprung.com
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About the show:
Sprung On Food is a digital and podcast series, hosted by Katherine "Kae" Sprung, an award-winning pastry chef and food and media entrepreneur. This season, we're talking about favorite foods- the history behind them and the role they play in the world today. Each episode features a special guest to talk about their favorite food, and help comment on the historical origins and pop-cultural and modern society moments tied to that food. Its food history meets food pop-culture, a dose of education, with sprinkles of comedy.

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00:00 Meet Pavlova
00:46 Why David Loves It
02:28 Pandemic Pavlova Rituals
03:42 Texture Makes Or Breaks
05:29 Cooking Versus Baking
06:31 Ballerina Origin Story
08:09 Dessert Inspired By Jack
10:45 How Pavlova Is Made
11:30 Vienna Windtorte Ancestor
16:09 Cornstarch And Marketing
19:37 Box Recipe Nostalgia
21:22 Pavlova Origin Trial
23:12 Australia Bias Verdict
24:04 Herbert Burt Character Bit
25:37 How Pavlova Became Iconic
27:00 America’s Pavlova Equivalent
29:12 Why The Debate Endures
31:32 Pavlova Tour Dreaming
33:05 Giant Pavlova Record
35:19 Pop Culture Pavlova
36:29 Finding Pavlova In LA
37:54 Wrap Up And Thanks