There are a lot of pie-related holidays, and every type of pie, from apple to cherry, is represented by its own holiday. Now, one of the most unlikely pies to ever get its own day has gotten its own holiday—a holiday that’s known as National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day. Chocolate pecan pie is a dessert that combines the decadence of chocolate with the nuttiness of pecans. It’s a type of pie that’s best served with whipped cream and maybe a few chocolate sprinkles, so let’s serve up a couple of slices when this holiday rolls around on August 20th.

The History of Chocolate Pecan Pie

Alas, we were unable to uncover the origins of Chocolate Pecan Pie Day, so we decided to instead research the history of chocolate pecan pie. Although Native Americans used pecans as a food source for over 8,000 years, it wasn’t until 1886 when a recipe for pecan custard pie was published in Harper’s Bazaar.

Pecan pie remained a popular dish, particularly in the South, from the time it was first created and well into the 20th century. However, it would not be until the 1930s that chocolate would be added to the recipe to give it a bit of pizzazz. The makers of Karo Syrup published their recipe for pecan pie—replacing the molasses that was used in the original recipe with Karo. It was around this time that chocolate was added to the recipe—creating the first chocolate pecan pie in existence.

Interesting Facts About Pecans and Chocolate

Since we’ve gone down the holiday rabbit hole, we’ve decided to go ahead and dig up some interesting facts about pecans and about chocolate. So let’s get this party started and put down some facts about these two food items.

• The word “pecan” comes from an Algonquin word that means “nuts that require a stone to crack.”
• Approximately 80% of the world’s pecan crop comes from the U.S.
• Pecans are native to North America and are a species of hickory.
• Pecans produce nuts on alternate bearing years. One year will be light, while the next year will be heavy.
• The average pecan pie uses almost 80 pecans.
• Pecan trees can live for hundreds of years.
• An ounce of pecans provides a person with 10% of the recommended daily intake of fiber.
• Albany, Georgia, is the pecan capital.
• The Mayans used chocolate as a form of currency.
• Europe consumes approximately half of the world’s chocolate.
• The chocolate chip cookie was invented by Ruth Graves by accident.
• Hershey’s makes over 70 million Kisses on an average day.

Observing National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day

National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day can be observed simply by having a slice of chocolate pecan pie on this holiday. You can have it as your after-dinner dessert or as your lunch. Have it with a glass of milk, or spread some whipped cream on it. It’s all up to you. While you’re observing this holiday, don’t forget to use the hashtag #ChocolatePecanPieDay on your social media accounts to spread the word about it.