Bananas were not introduced to North America until sometime after the Civil War.  Some decades later, when widespread consumption took hold, New Orleans became a major center for banana imports from Central and South America. 

In 1951, with ever an eye for publicity and the promotion of his city, Owen Brennan challenged his chef Paul Blangé to create a dish featuring the fruit.  The dramatic, flambéed result is now the most-ordered item on Brennan's menu; it is not unusual for guests who have dined elsewhere to arrive just for a dessert of Bananas Foster.

The dish was named for Richard Foster, a friend of Owen Brennan and the chairman of the New Orleans Crime Commission, on which Brennan served.