A Retinol: 0-13.3 µg A Carotenoids: 50-80 µg E or Tocoferol: 4.34-19.8 mg K or Filoquinone: 10-10 µg
Liposoluble Vitamins
B1 or Thiamine: 0.71-0.86 mg B2 or Riboflavine: 0.15-0.30 mg B3 or Niacine: 1.4-1.4 mg B5 or Pantothenic Acid: 1.71-1.71 mg B6 or Piridoxine: 0.19-0.19 mg B9 or Folic Acid: 0-2 mg C or Ascorbic Acid: 0-2 mg
It is a dry fruit very similar to the walnut, reason why it is known as " American nut or ‘Pecan". It is consumed raw and it is used for making many desserts.
It is an important source of proteins.
Nutrition and eating
The pecan is a very healthy dry fruit and it has a high energetic value, since it supplies 700kcal/100g. It is an excellent complement in the vegetarian diet thanks to the quality of its proteins.
The fruit
It is a dry fruit very similar to the walnut, reason why it is known as " American nut or ‘Pecan". It is consumed raw and it is used for making many desserts. It is an important source of proteins.
The pecan is mainly consumed raw, as a natural snack, although it is a good ingredient in many recipes, specially desserts, like cakes, pies and ice creams. It is a dry fruit also known as "American nut’ due to its similarity to the traditional walnut, although it is longer and it has a smooth shell, and because it comes from America. The shell or mesocarp is woody, but thin and easy to break when ripe; the meat or endocarp is white and of pleasant taste, covered by a thin skin of dark brown colour.
It is a very nutritious product since it contains many vitamins; it is also an important protein source; a hundred grams supply 9g of proteins.
There exist some varieties that bear fruit of different sizes. The most common ones cultivated in the U.S.A. are of large fruit, reaching 5cm of length. In Spain (Costa del Sol) they are cultivated as ornamental plants in gardening. The fruit is consumed in places like Malaga, although they are usually of low quality, small and scarcely fleshy.
The fruit matures in autumn in the N hemisphere, therefore they are usually found in the markets at the end of the year. They introduction in the market is very slow and in Spain they are still very unknown.
The plant
The pecan or hickory tree is caducifolious and it may reach 50m of height. It is used in gardening because of its beauty.
It belongs to the Juglandaceous family and the genus Carya. There exist multiple species, up to twenty-five from North America, but the most cultivated are Carya illinoinensis , C. Ovata and C. Cordiformis.
The leaves are compound, usually with 7-17 lanceolate folioles with sawed edges.
The masculine inflorescences, known as catkins (pendulous spikes) are born laterally on the first year wood, and the feminine inflorescences (spikes) at the end of the year.
The fruition takes place within 4 or 6 years from the transplanting. The fruit is an ovoid nut.