Pecan pie is a pie made primarily of corn syrup and pecan nuts. It is popularly served at holiday meals and is also considered a specialty of Southern U.S. cuisine. Most pecan pie recipes include salt and vanilla as flavorings.[1] Chocolate and bourbon whiskey are other popular additions to the recipe.[2] Pecan pie is often served with whipped cream.[3]
[edit] Origin
Tradition holds that the French invented pecan pie soon after settling in New Orleans, after being introduced to the nut by Native Americans.[citation needed] Attempts to trace the dish's origin, however, have not found any recipes dated earlier than 1897,[4] and well-known cookbooks such as Fannie Farmer and The Joy of Cooking did not include it before 1940.[5]
The makers of Karo syrup popularized the dish and many of its recipes. Karo Syrup's own website contends that the dish was a 1930s "discovery" of a "new use for corn syrup" by a corporate sales executive's wife.[6]
[edit] Cultural context
Pecan pie is often mentioned in American literature (and television) as associated with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other special occasions; for example:
- Tonight was the monthly meeting and potluck dinner of the Lost River Community Association... Frances had brought two covered dishes, one a green-bean casserole, the other a macaroni and cheese, and several desserts. Mildred, who had prepared fried chicken and a pork roast, heard the phone ringing, but ignored it... After another trip to the car for two cakes and three pecan pies, the phone was still ringing.
- —Fannie Flagg, 2004[7]
- Dooley handed them a basket stuffed with fruit, nuts, candy, a tinned ham, and a pecan pie. "Merry Christmas!" he said.
- —Jan Karon, 1996[8]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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