Pecan

Carya illinoinensis

nuts & seeds

The elongated, smooth-shelled fruit of the pecan tree, a large tree of the walnut family native to North America; sweet and buttery, raw or in pecan pie. It provides monounsaturated fats, ellagitannins, zinc and manganese.

Origin

Mississippi valley

Season (United States)

all year round · grows in your region

Preparation

The shell is cracked with a nutcracker and the kernel eaten, raw or toasted for a few minutes in the oven; its thin brown skin is eaten, the shell and the bitter inner partition are not.

Molecules

Ellagitannins · Zinc · Manganese · Omega-6 (linoleic acid) · Monounsaturated fatty acidsIn small amounts, not counted Plant omega-3 (ALA)

Did you know?

Botanically, it is not a nut but a drupe, like the peach; it is the official nut of five US states, and the state tree of Texas.