Getting Nuts About Pecan Month

At first, it may seem a bit like overkill forgoing the traditional route of giving a specific food one 24-hour period of devotion and instead allowing a full 30 days to bask in the glory of something as simple as a nut. But the pecan is no simple nut. Native to south-central Native America, the word "pecan" is from an Algonquin word meaning "a nut requiring a stone to crack." However, once you bit into the savory morsel, either on its own or on top of any number of delicious desert treats, you realize instantly that it was worth the extra effort. So here's to the pecan, a nut that deserves an entire month's worth of focused praise, indeed.

[Photo of Panna Cotta, with tsuru noku persimmons and maple pecans, from L.A.'s Lucques, by arndog/Flickr.]

[Cheese Plate at Craftbar Los Angeles, served with dates, candied pecans and crackers, by Muy Yum/Flickr.]

[Pecan Pumpkin Pie from Platine in Culver City. Photo by Muy Yum/Flickr.]

[Chocolate chip cookies topped with a pecan by Clotee Pridgen Allochuku/Flickr.]

[The $12 salad from Chego with spinach, mizuna, miso, goat cheese and pecans, photo by Muy Yum/Flickr.]

[Mashed garnet yams with candied pecans, from the Westside Tavern. Photo by Muy Yum/Flickr.]

[Another great use of pecans, candied and on top of ice cream, at L.A.'s Milk. Photo by arndog/Flickr.]

[French toast with bourbon pecans and vanilla cream from Square One in Los Feliz. Photo by erinsikorskystewart/Flickr.]

[A simple bowl of pecans by futurestreet/Flickr.]

[A scrumptious pecan strudel by the fine folks at Vegan Feast/Flickr.]

[And finally, the last bit of pecan pie by WayTru/Flickr.]