Cashew Apple and Cashew Nuts

Did you know that strawberries are the only fruits with the seeds on the outside? the cashew apple also had seeds on the outside (the seed being the cashew nut). He was partially right because cashews are seeds to the cashew tree, but the cashew apple is a accessory fruit, therefore the cashew nut is the fruit of the cashew tree and not the apple. Anyways, all of that to say that it got me researching cashews. Here’s what I found out:

Unlike most fruits where the seed is found inside the flesh, the cashew seed hangs from the bottom of the cashew apple.

This cashew apple is an accessory fruit (sometimes called a pseudocarp or false fruit) by-product of the cashew nut. The pulp of the cashew apple is very juicy, but the skin is fragile, making it unsuitable for transport. In Latin America, a fruit drink is made from the cashew apple pulp which has a very refreshing taste and tropical flavor that can be described as having notes of mango, raw green pepper, and just a little hint of grapefruit-like citrus.

The fresh cashew apple fruit is not only edible but delicious, but cashew nuts are more popular than cashew apples in many parts of the world—regions that do not grow cashews—because the fruit, unlike the nut, is difficult to transport to these places. Unlike cashew nuts, cashew apples are extremely soft and much too perishable to bring to market and it begin to ferment as soon as they are picked and will barely last 24 hours. For this reason, used to make liqueurs, canned,  jams, cashew juice and cashew juice concentrate are often shipped to these nonlocal countries instead of the fresh fruit.

The true fruit of the cashew tree is a kidney or boxing-glove shaped drupe that grows at the end of the cashew apple. The seed is surrounded by a double shell containing an allergenic phenolic resin, anacardic acid, a potent skin irritant chemically related to the better-known allergenic oil urushiol which is also a toxin found in the related poison ivy. This substance is removed during the shelling process(Cashew Grading Machine) and is used in the making of such products as varnish, insecticide, paint, and even rocket lubricant. For this primary reason, cashews are never sold in the shell. and properly roasting cashews destroys the toxin. It’s crazy that a plant is the same family as poison ivy can produce such a delicious nut!Properly roasting cashews destroys the toxin

The cashew nuts in the international market , it is a popular snack and food source as well savory dishes worldwide. Delicately sweet yet crunchy and delicious cashew nut is packed with energy, antioxidants, minerals and vitamins that are essential for robust health! Cashews, unlike other oily tree nuts, contain starch to about 10% of their weight. This makes them more effective than other nuts in thickening water-based dishes such as soups, meat stews, and some Indian milk-based desserts. Many southeast Asian and south Asian cuisines use cashews for this unusual characteristic, rather than other nuts.