AUSTIN, Texas – Texas State Senator Charles Schwertner, a Republican from Georgetown, says it's about time that the state finally gets a piece of the pie. That is, pecan pie.
Why pecan? His resolution says it represents Texas more than any other culinary dish and points out that the pecan tree is native to 152 Texas counties. He has many more reasons in the proposal, which you can read below:
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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.