pecan
n.n. a large, hard-shelled nut with a sweet, buttery flavor. You often find them in pies, cookies, and candies.
n. a large, edible seed of the pecan tree, native to North America. The hard shell is typically removed before the nut is used in culinary applications.
I love eating pecan pie with my coffee.
The baker used finely chopped pecans to add a crunchy texture to the chocolate brownies.
While walnuts are more common in European cuisine, pecans are a staple of Southern American baking, prized for their rich, oily flavor and smooth texture.
Borrowed from French pacane and at first spelt paccan. The French word derives from an Algonquian word, perhaps Miami (Illinois) pakani. Compare Cree pakan (“hard nut”), Ojibwe bagaan, Abenaki pagann, bagôn, pagôn (“nut; walnut, hazelnut”).