These pecan nuts are raw halves, that make a delicious snack or can be cooked in many recipes, like praline candy and the famous Pecan Pie.
The pecan nut is native to Mexico and the USA. They are also now grown commercially in Turkey, Holland and Iran. The annual crop is over 132,000 tonnes. They grow best in climates with long summers that are hot and humid. Mexico produces 50% of the world’s total crop. The deciduous tree grows up to 40m. It has long green leaves 12 to 18in in length. The pecan is a seed, not a nut, which is called a drupe. This is a seed or fruit that is encased in a wooden shell followed on the outside by hull. The hull is green/gold in colour. In between the pecan nut, like the walnut, is a fine membrane that protects the nut. Pecans tend to be similar to the walnut but longer in length, sweeter and buttery in taste, but more expensive to buy. Pecans are eaten raw as a delicious healthy snack or cooked in many recipes like Praline Candy and the famous Pecan Pie. They can be added to ice cream as a topper or as an ingredient in baking muffins, flapjacks, biscuits, cookies small and large cakes. Pecans are also used to decorate and enhance the tops cakes.