The pecan is a delicious tasting nut that can be a wonderful accessory in a salad, as the body of a meltingly sweet pie, or munched right from the shell as a wholesome, filling snack. Most of us have snacked on pecans in our lifetime, but do you know the interesting history behind this great tasting nut? The fact is that the pecan has played a bigger role in American culture than you may even realize.