What Is the Difference Between Pecans and Walnuts? Explained in One Article

Pecans are actually walnuts; it is just that people had never seen this kind of walnut before. In fact, the pecan is a type of American hickory nut, somewhat different from the walnuts grown in our country. The pecan's nutritional value is higher than that of ordinary walnuts, so it belongs to the premium walnut category. Let us now take a look together at what the differences between pecans and walnuts are!

The Difference in Origin Between Pecans and Walnuts

The original growing regions of walnuts are mainly distributed across Central Asia, West Asia, South Asia and Europe. In our country, walnuts are cultivated in areas such as **, Gansu, Shaanxi, Hebei, Yunnan, Shanxi and Sichuan. The pecan, on the other hand, is the fruit of the American hickory, abundantly produced in Australia, North America and other countries. In our country, the main production area is only the ** Uyghur Autonomous Region, and Zhejiang Province has now also begun small-scale trial planting.

The Difference in Appearance Between Pecans and Walnuts

The difference in appearance between pecans and walnuts is very obvious. The walnut's shape is relatively round, its shell is very thick and hard, and it is rather difficult to crack open; moreover, the walnut's kernel looks more like a human brain. The pecan's shape is oval, relatively longer compared with the walnut, and its shell is not only thin but also brittle, making it easy to open.

The Difference in Nutrition Between Pecans and Walnuts

Both pecans and walnuts are rich in nutrients, but the pecan's content of mineral elements and trace elements such as sodium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, zinc and manganese is somewhat higher than that of the common walnut. Combined with its naturally wild characteristics, it therefore has an advantage over the walnut in terms of nutrition. There are also some differences in how they are eaten: if people with poor digestion eat too many walnuts, it may cause indigestion, but people with poor digestion or those with a relatively yang-deficient constitution can eat pecans without worry. Although pecans and walnuts are fairly similar in their content of nutritional components and in nutritional value, in terms of calories the pecan is somewhat lower, while the walnut is somewhat higher.