07/26/2026
Technically, pecans aren’t nuts at all but drupes—fruits with a husk around a stone pit, much like peaches or plums. Walnuts are also not nuts, but drupes. They get called nuts all the time, but botanically, they are drupes. Real, true nuts are things like acorns, chestnuts, and hazelnuts, which don’t split open when they ripen. Drupes, on the other hand, include walnuts, cherries, almonds, peaches and pecans. So a pecan isn’t a nut in the strict sense, but put that pecan in a pecan pie and nobody will complain about the fact that you called it a nut when it really isn't one. Incidentally, the pecan is the only major tree nut/drupe native to North America. The U.S. produces about 80% of the world's supply of pecans, and Texas produces about 25% of the U.S. crop. Now, about that pecan pie ... 😃
Here's a massive pecan tree somewhere in Texas long ago. Note the men at the bottom of the trunk.
