83R6099 JGH-D
 
  By: Schwertner S.C.R. No. 12
 
 
 
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
         WHEREAS, Of all the Lone Star State's unique culinary dishes,
  perhaps none say "Texas" more sweetly than pecan pie; and
         WHEREAS, The pecan tree, which was officially designated as
  the State Tree in 1919, is indigenous to North America and native to
  152 counties in Texas, where it grows in river valleys; the State
  Health Nut, the pecan is the state's only commercially grown nut,
  and Texas pecan growers account for more than 20 percent of all the
  pecans grown in the United States; and
         WHEREAS, Though there are many ways to enjoy pecans, it is
  practically a given among Texans that they belong, first and
  foremost, in a pie; the earliest record of this distinctive dessert
  dates to the late 19th century; the weekly humor magazine Texas
  Siftings described it in February 1886 as being "not only
  delicious" but "capable of being made into a 'real state pie,'" and
  in March 1914, the Christian Science Monitor featured a recipe for
  "Texas Pecan Pie" with a custard filling that called for a cup of
  sweet milk, a cup of sugar, three well-beaten eggs, a tablespoon of
  flour, and half a cup of "finely chopped pecan meats"; and
         WHEREAS, It was around 1930 when the pie became the
  syrup-based creation it is today; the wife of an executive at the
  Karo Syrup company combined that product with pecans to make a pie,
  and it proved to be an irresistible mixture; the pie subsequently
  gained national recognition through advertisements forever linking
  the syrup with pecans in the public's mind; recipes for pecan pie
  began appearing in such popular cookbooks as The Joy of Cooking and
  The Fannie Farmer Cookbook in the 1940s, and it became a staple in
  restaurants across the state and nation; and
         WHEREAS, Pecan pie recipes are varied and numerous, with
  differences regarding the sugar-to-syrup ratio and the size and
  consistency of the nuts, and are a matter of debate, strong opinion,
  and deeply held family tradition; yet Texans generally agree on two
  things: Texas pecan pies are, hands down, the best, especially when
  made with Texas pecans by a Texan, and secondly, whether served hot
  or cold, with a scoop of ice cream or without, pecan pie is indeed
  the perfect ending to any meal; now, therefore, be it
         RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas
  hereby designate pecan pie as the official State Pie of Texas.