Pecan

Pecan trees are large deciduous trees, often 20 to 30 metres tall and long-lived, with pinnate leaves and a broad crown. The fruit is an oval husked nut, about 3 to 5 centimetres long, that splits into four sections at maturity to release a smooth, thin, brown shell. Inside the shell is a two-lobed kernel with a wrinkled, convoluted surface and a rich, sweet, slightly tannic flavour. Compared with walnuts, pecans are milder and sweeter. They are sold shelled as halves and pieces, or in the shell, either raw, roasted or candied.

The pecan is native to the south-central United States and northern Mexico, especially along the Mississippi River valley and its tributaries in states such as Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Illinois. It grows naturally on river bottomlands with deep, moist soil. The United States and Mexico are by far the largest producers today, with smaller crops in South Africa, Australia, Peru and elsewhere. Trees take several years to start bearing and produce irregular crops from year to year.

Native American peoples of the region gathered pecans for thousands of years and traded them widely. The English word pecan comes from an Algonquian word for nuts that need a stone to crack. Early European settlers and explorers noted the nuts as an important food, and they spread the tree beyond its natural range.

Grafted, named varieties were developed in the nineteenth century, including one found on a plantation in Louisiana whose selection helped start the orchard industry. Pecan became an official state tree in Texas, and pie recipes using corn syrup and pecans became popular in the early twentieth century. Today commercial orchards in the southern United States and northern Mexico supply most of the world's pecans, with growing demand from China.

Pecans are eaten out of hand, toasted, or used in pies, pralines, cookies, brownies, sticky buns and ice cream. They are chopped over salads, sweet potatoes and oatmeal, added to stuffing, and ground into flours and nut butters. Pecan halves are candied, spiced and coated in chocolate. Toasting for a few minutes in a dry oven brings out the aroma and crispness. Whole shelled pecans keep best in the refrigerator or freezer because their oils can turn rancid at room temperature. Pecan shells are used as smoking wood and as mulch.

Pecans are rich in monounsaturated fat and contain small amounts of protein and fibre. They supply manganese, copper, thiamine, magnesium and zinc, and contain plant polyphenols. Some research suggests that eating nuts as part of a balanced diet may support healthy cholesterol levels, though the studies on pecans specifically are limited. Because they are high in calories, a small handful is a typical portion. Unsalted, plain pecans are preferable to sugar-coated or heavily salted versions.