How pecans went from ignored trees to a holiday staple—the 8,000-year history of America's only native major nut

Pecans, America's only native major nut, have a storied history in the United States. Today, American trees produce hundreds of millions of pounds of pecans—80% of the world's pecan crop. Most of that crop stays here. Pecans are used to produce pecan milk, butter and oil, but many of the nuts end up in pecan pies.