Pesach Faqs

Q. Why do raw pecans require hashgachah for Pesach?

A. In most cases, when the pecan's nut is removed from its husk it comes out in two full segments - one from each side of the nut. When that doesn't happen, and the nut comes out in smaller pieces, that raises suspicion that the nut has been infested with the larvae of an insect called the pecan weevil. One way to separate the infested pieces is by putting all of them into a bath of ethanol or isopropanol; the nuts that are infested will float to the top, and those which are not infested will sink to the bottom. To avoid concerns that this may have been done with chametz or kitnios ethanol, we recommend that pecan pieces only be purchased if they have special certification for Pesach. [This concern does not apply to whole pecan segments, which are recommended even if they are pasteurized, unless they are blanched, roasted, or have other ingredients added.]