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Cashew plant origin7/12/2023 ![]() ![]() The seeds are then dried in the sun or in a facility to remove traces of urushiol. To be made suitable for human consumption, the seeds first need to be removed from the fruit. This is the same substance found in poison ivy, and like that plant, exposure can cause rashes. This is because the cashew drupe contains a substance called urushiol. While we enjoy cashews regularly, cashew nuts cannot be eaten raw. It should be noted that the cashew apple is perishable and can spoil within a day or two of harvesting. The taste of the cashew apple is a mix of sweet and sour, as if you are eating an apple. What Else Should I Know About The Cashew Fruit?ĭespite not being the main fruit of the cashew tree, the cashew apple is still edible and can be used for culinary purposes. Because cashews fall into the latter category, they are not considered true nuts. Drupes, on the other hand, have fleshy exteriors. True nuts, such as acorns and hazelnuts, have shells and seeds that are both hard and dry. Although they are referred to as nuts in the culinary world because of their color, taste, and texture, they are not considered true nuts. The answer to that question is no! Cashew nuts are not nuts at all. In fact, as seen in the image above, this means that when cashews grow, the drupe develops before the accessory fruit. ![]() Interestingly enough, because the cashew apple is merely an accessory fruit, the seed grows independently from it. Instead, the actual “true” fruit of the cashew seed is the drupe. This means that the cashew apple is technically not the “true” fruit of the cashew seed, as mentioned earlier. This means that unlike most fruits, which develop from the ovaries of flowers, their flesh grows from a different part of the plant. When immature, it can have a green color, but once it does mature, it can turn red or yellow.Ĭashew apples are an example of what is called an accessory fruit. To repeat: the cashew apple is not the main fruit, the kidney-shaped drupe is. On the other hand, the apple-like fleshy object above it is called a cashew apple. The kidney-shaped object is the drupe and is the actual fruit of the tree. When you look at a cashew fruit, you may notice that it consists of two parts: a dark-colored kidney-shaped object and a fleshy light-colored fruit. What About The Cashew Fruit? Image from Wikimedia Commons Some other popular examples of drupes are mangoes, cherries, apricots, and peaches. This means the fruit is composed of a large fleshy part that surrounds a single hard seed. Cashew nuts are harvested from trees and processed for food and other purposes.Ĭashew seeds grow inside what is called a drupe. The cashew tree is native to the Americas (particularly Brazil) but is now grown in tropical areas worldwide. Let us have a quick tour regarding the same.First, what are cashews exactly? Cashews are the seeds of the cashew tree ( Anacardium occidentale). ![]() Years ago cashews were only a nut for consumption, now it is more than that, offering a lot of varieties of food products. It is very easy to remove the toxic layers simply by roasting the cashews. It is good that the cashews are carefully and reticulated in such a way that it leaves no signs of urushiol. Health professionals advise that to consume the cashew after the processing only because urushiol is liable to cause dermatitis, also coming in contact with them can cause itching and irritation. Raw cashews are toxic? Cashews aren't toxic, but the shells they are surrounded by are toxic layers containing urushiol elements. Overall cashews are a great source of vitamin K, dietary fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, copper, manganese, magnesium. They are generally processed in machines, it is because they are too expensive to waste. Covered by several layers of toxic elements, cashews are also wrapped in kidney-shaped structures. Not a nut, cashews are seeds that are obtained from the underside of the cashew apple or the cashew fruit. What are cashews? Cashews come from cashew trees, which were the native origin of Brazil, now grown in most of the countries around the world. ![]() Portuguese were the first to introduce cashew from Brazil. This is because the tree’s fruit is kidney-shaped from which we can derive the nuts. The term cashew is derived from the Portuguese term ‘Caju’ meaning ‘kidney tree’. Cashews nuts - one of our favorite most popular nuts as indicated by its names. ![]()
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