My item that I chose is my grandma’s notorious Pecan Pie. It is uncertain where the recipe for the pie originally came from, but it was presumably started by my great-grandmother around the 1940s. The pie is brought to every family gathering and has been a unanimous favorite for decades. The basis for the Pecan Pie begins with a Swiss dessert called Nusstorte that German settlers in Texas may have been trying to recreate. Then made their way up and set up camp in places like Fredericksburg. My ancestors on my grandpa’s side of the family immigrated from Austria to Texas during the 1890s because of rising tensions in Germany and poor conditions for farming. They arrived in Galveston and began to buy land from Civil War veterans who no longer had an interest in farming. By the time Pecan Pies became popular in the South, my great-grandma found the recipe on the back of a Karo syrup bottle, whipped up a pie, and it blew people away. She then passed it on to her son's wife. Now the pie makes an appearance every time the family gets together. One of our biggest get-togethers is our Christmas Eve party, which also always takes place on my birthday. I always feel outshone by the occasion until my grandma brings a Pecan Pie just for me, which always makes me feel like the most special person there.  

– Cooper Brown

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more