Description
In PECANS: Recipes & History of an American Nut, the pecan is celebrated in a stunningly illustrated cookbook with over 60 recipes inspired by a rich culinary history throughout North America. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson revered them. Native Americans gathered them as an important food source. Nineteenth-century plantation owners and slaves developed the first cultivars. And today they are one of the most sought-after nuts in the world. From Thanksgiving pies to savory snacks, this American native tree nut has been harvested and enjoyed for thousands of years.
From its ancient origins in the Americas, PECANS recounts how this nutritional powerhouse was an important food source in Native American diets, providing a vital source in Native American diets, providing a vital source of healthy protein and fats that far outweighed that of wild game or domesticated livestock. Thanks to modern-day nutrition research, pecans are known to be high in vitamins, protein, and fiber, and are a key component of a healthy diet.
Pecans are also a highly valued export crop for the U.S. and Mexico. They are especially prized in countries throughout Asia, which import hundreds of thousands of tons of these delicious buttery nuts annually. And as pecans have traveled the globe, new countries have adopted them into their own culinary traditions in unique and surprising ways!
PECANS showcases a delicious array of recipes featuring America’s favorite nut: ground into homemade flour to make rustic breads, creamy pecan butter, and chile mole; chopped to add crunch to salads, vegetables, and stir-frys; toasted to add buttery flavor to crunchy coatings for meats and fish; and added to a sinful selection of desserts from pies and cakes to cookies and ice cream.
Accompanying the recipes in PECANS are dozens of sidebars contributed by celebrated chefs and food writers, adding to the rich tapestry of culinary information on pecans from cooking tradition in North and Central America. Stunning recipe and location photography throughout the American South and Southwest is complemented by works of art depicting pecans in antique botanical engravings, decorative murals, and historic and contemporary still-life paintings. This lavishly produced volume is not only timely, but sure to appeal to healthy-conscious cooks and food lovers of world cuisines alike.
