A little reason to celebrate
National Pecan Day
Food ยท April 14
A day for the pecan, the buttery tree nut of the American South, eaten toasted, candied, baked into pie or straight from the shell.
National Pecan Day falls on Wednesday, April 14, 2027. That is 169 days away.
Pecans grow on tall hickory trees, and they are native to North America. The nut sits inside a smooth, thin shell that cracks with a firm squeeze, and the meat inside has two ridged halves that look a little like a tiny brain.
The flavor is sweet and buttery, softer than a walnut and less bitter. Toasting brings that out fast. A few minutes in a dry pan and the kitchen smells like caramel, even though nothing sweet has been added yet.
Most people meet pecans in dessert. Pecan pie sets the nuts on a glossy filling of eggs, butter and syrup. Pralines cook them in sugar until they set into fudgy rounds. They turn up in cookies, sticky buns and ice cream too, and on the savory side they are tossed into salads, rolled around cheese or crushed into a crust for fish or chicken.
Shelled pecans are rich in oil, which is why they taste so good and also why they can go stale. Kept in a sealed container in the fridge or freezer, they stay fresh much longer than they do in the pantry.
Cracking a bag of whole pecans by hand takes a while, and the halves rarely come out in one piece on the first try.
Ways to celebrate
- Toast a handful of pecans in a dry pan and eat them warm.
- Bake a pecan pie or a batch of pecan cookies.
- Try cracking whole pecans by hand and count the perfect halves.
- Sprinkle chopped pecans over oatmeal, yogurt or a salad.
- Share a family recipe that uses pecans with a friend.
Dates
| Year | Date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Tuesday, April 14 |
| 2027 | Wednesday, April 14 |
| 2028 | Friday, April 14 |
| 2029 | Saturday, April 14 |
| 2030 | Sunday, April 14 |
Also on April 14
Categories: Food days