The Pecan

What would Thanksgiving be without pecan pie? New Orleans without pecan pralines? Southern cooks would have to hang up their aprons without Americas native nut, whose popularity has spread far beyond the trees natural home. But as familiar as the pecan is, most people dont know the fascinating story of how native pecan trees fed Americans for thousands of years until the nut was improved a little more than a century agoand why that rapid domestication actually threatens the pecans long-term future. In The Pecan, acclaimed writer and historian James McWilliams explores the history of Americas most important commercial nut. He describes how essential the pecan was for Native Americansby some calculations, an average pecan harvest had the food value of nearly 150,000 bison. McWilliams explains that, because of its natural edibility, abundance, and ease of harvesting, the pecan was left in its natural state longer than any other commercial fruit or nut crop in America. Yet once the process of improvement began, it took less than a century for the pecan to be almost totally domesticated. Today, more than 300 million pounds of pecans are produced every year in the United Statesand as much as half of that total might be exported to China, which has fallen in love with Americas native nut. McWilliams also warns that, as ubiquitous as the pecan has become, it is vulnerable to a perfect storm of economic threats and ecological disasters that could wipe it out within a generation. This lively history suggests why the pecan deserves to be recognized as a true American heirloom.