Texas State Pie: Pecan Pie

Official State Pie of Texas: Pecan Pie. Designated by SCR 12, 83rd R.S. (2013) authored by Sen. Charles Schwertner and sponsored by Rep. Marsha Farney.

Based on a ceremonial resolution submitted by freshman Rep. Marsha Farney (R - Georgetown), the Texas House of Representatives today recognized pecan pie as the State Pie of Texas.

Although her legislative colleagues subjected Farney to some good-natured hazing, such as calling for amendments that would require only Texas pecans could be used to make the pies and that it would be illegal to include chocolate in them, the resolution passed and the Capitol Cafeteria served pecan pie for dessert.

Texas State Pie: Pecan Pie

Pecan pie is a pie made primarily with corn syrup and pecan nuts. Variations may include white or brown sugar, sugar syrup, molasses, maple syrup, or honey. It is popularly served at holiday meals and is also considered a specialty of Southern U.S. cuisine. Most pecan pie recipes include salt and vanilla as flavorings. Chocolate and bourbon whiskey are other popular additions to the recipe. Pecan pie is often served with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Claims have been made of the dish existing in the early 1800s in Alabama, but this does not appear to be backed up by recipes or literature. Attempts to trace the dish's origin have not found any recipes dated earlier than 1886, and well-known cookbooks such as Fannie Farmer and The Joy of Cooking did not include this dessert before 1940. The earliest recorded recipes produce a boiled custard with pecans added, which is then baked in a pie crust.

Some have stated that the French invented pecan pie soon after settling in New Orleans, after being introduced to the pecan nut by Native Americans. Pecan pie may be a variant of chess pie, which is made with a similar butter-sugar-egg custard.

The makers of Karo syrup significantly contributed to popularizing the dish and many of the recipes for variants (caramel, cinnamon, Irish creme, peanut butter, etc.) of the classic pie. The company has claimed that the dish was a 1930s "discovery" of a "new use for corn syrup" by a corporate sales executive's wife.

Heart of Texas Bourbon Pecan Pie

Prepare or purchase one 9-inch deep dish pie shell. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Place pie shell on a cookie sheet and set aside.

Whisk together the sugars, salt, and syrup, followed by the eggs. Blend well and then add melted butter. Cover the bottom of the pie shell with pecan halves and pour the pie filling over them. Bake 50-55 minutes or until there is no soupy spot in the middle of the filling. Remove from oven and cool on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature with a scoop of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla or Amy's Molasses ice cream. Serves 8.

Texas Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 12

Texas SCR 12 CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

S.C.R. No. 12
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Of all the Lone Star State's unique culinary dishes,
perhaps none says "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.
______________________________ ______________________________
President of the Senate Speaker of the House

I hereby certify that S.C.R. No. 12 was adopted by the Senate
on March 13, 2013, by the following vote: Yeas 31, Nays 0.
______________________________
Secretary of the Senate

I hereby certify that S.C.R. No. 12 was adopted by the House
on May 17, 2013, by the following vote: Yeas 134, Nays 0, two
present not voting.
______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House

Approved:
______________________________
Date

______________________________
Governor

Texas Law

Pecan Pie was adopted as the official State Pie by concurrent resolution and, therefore, is not listed in the Texas Statutes.

Texas State

State Foods

Texas Symbols

Texas State Pie

Pecan Pie

Adopted on June 14, 2013.