Janet Dunne

Okay, ready for this, Kitchen Wisdom people? I topped a pie with ricotta, and then some fresh raspberries. It was absolutely incredible. I urge you to try it. Thinking of doing something with peaches next.

So I was curious about the mongrel of a name Big Sur.

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It has pretty convoluted origins. Apparently the Spanish referred to the vast and relatively unexplored coastal region to the south of Monterey as el país grande del sur, meaning "the big country of the south". This was often shortened to el sur grande.

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The first American use of the name Sur was by the U.S. Coast Survey in 1851, which renamed a point of land that looked like an island and was shaped like a trumpet, known to the Spanish as Morro de la Trompa and Punta que Parece Isla, to Point Sur. A post office bearing the name Sur was established on October 30, 1889.

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Finally, some English-speaking homesteaders petitioned the United States Post Office to change the name of their post office from Arbolado to Big Sur, and the rubber stamp bearing that name was issued on March 6, 1915, cementing the odd name in place.