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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Of all the Lone Star State's unique culinary dishes, |
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perhaps none say "Texas" more sweetly than pecan pie; and |
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WHEREAS, The pecan tree, which was officially designated as |
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the State Tree in 1919, is indigenous to North America and native to |
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152 counties in Texas, where it grows in river valleys; the State |
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Health Nut, the pecan is the state's only commercially grown nut, |
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and Texas pecan growers account for more than 20 percent of all the |
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pecans grown in the United States; and |
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WHEREAS, Though there are many ways to enjoy pecans, it is |
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practically a given among Texans that they belong, first and |
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foremost, in a pie; the earliest record of this distinctive dessert |
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dates to the late 19th century; the weekly humor magazine Texas |
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Siftings described it in February 1886 as being "not only |
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delicious" but "capable of being made into a 'real state pie,'" and |
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in March 1914, the Christian Science Monitor featured a recipe for |
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"Texas Pecan Pie" with a custard filling that called for a cup of |
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sweet milk, a cup of sugar, three well-beaten eggs, a tablespoon of |
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flour, and half a cup of "finely chopped pecan meats"; and |
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WHEREAS, It was around 1930 when the pie became the |
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syrup-based creation it is today; the wife of an executive at the |
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Karo Syrup company combined that product with pecans to make a pie, |
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and it proved to be an irresistible mixture; the pie subsequently |
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gained national recognition through advertisements forever linking |
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the syrup with pecans in the public's mind; recipes for pecan pie |
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began appearing in such popular cookbooks as The Joy of Cooking and |
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The Fannie Farmer Cookbook in the 1940s, and it became a staple in |
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restaurants across the state and nation; and |
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WHEREAS, Pecan pie recipes are varied and numerous, with |
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differences regarding the sugar-to-syrup ratio and the size and |
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consistency of the nuts, and are a matter of debate, strong opinion, |
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and deeply held family tradition; yet Texans generally agree on two |
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things: Texas pecan pies are, hands down, the best, especially when |
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made with Texas pecans by a Texan, and secondly, whether served hot |
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or cold, with a scoop of ice cream or without, pecan pie is indeed |
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the perfect ending to any meal; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby designate pecan pie as the official State Pie of Texas. |