Long before the arrival of the Europeans to the New World, the pecan served as enrichment of the diet of the tribes in the central and southern regions of the United States. The pecan is without doubt the most important edible nut coming from the United States and one of the famous persons partial to them was George Washington who frequently carried them in his pockets and Thomas Jefferson, who dedicated part of its time to its cultivation.

It slightly resembles the walnut, but longer in shape, the pecan has a smootber shell and a higher proportion of kernel in its shell. The pecan nut is extraordinarily rich in fats and calories.

The principal producing countries are the U.S., Mexico, China, India and Israel.
Pecans are marketed in inshell or shelled form and can be eaten raw or roasted. It is used in the bakery, confectionary and dairy industry, in chocolate, ice creams.
The wood of the pecan tree is highly appreciated for its timber and used as decorative panelling.

Refuse: 47%  (Shells)
Scientific Name:  Carya illinoensis
NDB No: 12142 (Nutrient values and weights are for edible portion)

Nutrient Units Value per 100 grams Number of Data Points Std. Error Proximates Water g 3.52 3 0.114 Energy kcal 691 0   Energy kj 2889 0   Protein g 9.17 3 0.088 Total lipid (fat) g 71.97 3 0.12 Ash g 1.49 3 0.055 Carbohydrate, by difference g 13.86 0   Fiber, total dietary g 9.6 3 0.406 Sugars, total g 3.97 3 0.153 Sucrose g 3.90 3 0.153 Glucose (dextrose) g 0.04 3 0 Fructose g 0.04 3 0 Lactose g 0.00 3 0 Maltose g 0.00 3 0 Starch g 0.46 3 0.049 Minerals Calcium, Ca mg 70 3 4.767 Iron, Fe mg 2.53 3 0.26 Magnesium, Mg mg 121 3 4.096 Phosphorus, P mg 277 3 17.638 Potassium, K mg 410 3 17.247 Sodium, Na mg 0 3 0 Zinc, Zn mg 4.53 3 0.133 Copper, Cu mg 1.200 3 0.058 Manganese, Mn mg 4.500 3 1.05 Fluoride, F mcg 10.0 9   Selenium, Se mcg 3.8 9 0.114 Vitamins Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid mg 1.1 3 0.43 Thiamin mg 0.660 3 0.021 Riboflavin mg 0.130 3 0.03 Niacin mg 1.167 3 0.033 Pantothenic acid mg 0.863 3 0.078 Vitamin B-6 mg 0.210 3 0.021 Folate, total mcg 22 3 3.808 Folic acid mcg 0 0   Folate, food mcg 22 3 3.808 Folate, DFE mcg_DFE 22 0   Choline, total mg 40.5 0   Betaine mg 0.7 5 0.074 Vitamin B-12 mcg 0.00 0   Vitamin B-12, added mcg 0.00 0   Vitamin A, IU IU 56 0   Vitamin A, RAE mcg_RAE 3 0   Retinol mcg 0 0   Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) mg 1.40 9 0.076 Vitamin E, added mg 0.00 0   Tocopherol, beta mg 0.39 9 0.113 Tocopherol, gamma mg 24.44 9 1.498 Tocopherol, delta mg 0.47 9 0.085 Vitamin K (phylloquinone) mcg 3.5 8 0.413 Lipids Fatty acids, total saturated g 6.180 0   04:00 g 0.000 0   06:00 g 0.000 0   08:00 g 0.000 3 0 10:00 g 0.000 3 0 12:00 g 0.000 3 0 14:00 g 0.000 3 0 15:00 g 0.000 3 0 16:00 g 4.366 3 0.213 17:00 g 0.000 3 0 18:00 g 1.745 3 0.022 20:00 g 0.069 3 0 22:00 g 0.000 3 0 24:00 g 0.000 3 0 Fatty acids, total monounsaturated g 40.801 0   14:01 g 0.000 3 0 16:1 undifferentiated g 0.000 3 0 13:00 g 0.000 3 0 18:1 undifferentiated g 40.594 3 2.143 20:01 g 0.207 3 0 22:1 undifferentiated g 0.000 3 0 24:1 c g 0.000 3 0 Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated g 21.614 0   18:2 undifferentiated g 20.628 3 1.806 18:3 undifferentiated g 0.986 3 0.044 18:04 g 0.000 0   20:2 n-6 c,c g 0.000 3 0 20:3 undifferentiated g 0.000 3 0 20:4 undifferentiated g 0.000 3 0 20:5 n-3 g 0.000 3 0 22:5 n-3 g 0.000 3 0 22:6 n-3 g 0.000 3 0 Cholesterol mg 0 0   Phytosterols mg 102 1   Stigmasterol mg 3 3 0.827 Campesterol mg 5 3 0.845 Beta-sitosterol mg 89 3 5.494 Amino acids Tryptophan g 0.093 0   Threonine g 0.306 0   Isoleucine g 0.336 0   Leucine g 0.598 0   Lysine g 0.287 0   Methionine g 0.183 0   Cystine g 0.152 0   Phenylalanine g 0.426 0   Tyrosine g 0.215 0   Valine g 0.411 0   Arginine g 1.177 0   Histidine g 0.262 0   Alanine g 0.397 0   Aspartic acid g 0.929 0   Glutamic acid g 1.829 0   Glycine g 0.453 0   Proline g 0.363 0   Serine g 0.474 0   Other Alcohol, ethyl g 0.0 0   Caffeine mg 0 0   Theobromine mg 0 0   Carotene, beta mcg 29 9 1.105 Carotene, alpha mcg 0 9 0 Cryptoxanthin, beta mcg 9 8 1.711 Lycopene mcg 0 8 0 Lutein + zeaxanthin mcg 17 8 1.653