Pecans: Fun Facts

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  • Astronauts took pecans to the moon in two Apollo space missions.
  • The pecan pie was created by French people who had settled in New Orleans – and about 78 pecans are used in the average pecan pie.
  • The pecan is a species of hickory – In addition to the pecan nut, the wood is also used in making furniture, in hardwood flooring, as well as flavouring fuel for smoking meats.
  • The name “pecan” is a Native American word of Algonquin origin that was used to describe “all nuts requiring a stone to crack.”
  • Pecan trees may live and bear edible nuts for more than 300 years.
  • There are over 1,000 varieties of pecans and many are named for Native American Indian tribes (Cheyenne, Mohawk, Sioux, Choctaw and Shawnee). About 20 are in commercial use.
  • There are two ways people pronounce “pecan” and no one agrees which is the correct pronunciation.
  • Roasted pecan shells were often used as a substitute for coffee during World War II
  • July 12th is a great day to visit the US – it’s national pecan pie day in the States. Woo hoo!