I?ve never heard of this before! Interesting???..
Wow If you hang around long enough one can learn something new. Here is my something new, who’d have guessed?
![The Origin Of The Cashew](https://800019.xyz/files/funzug/imgs/informative/origin_of_cashew_01.jpg)
Ever wonder where cashews come from?
You might think they grow inside a shell like any other nut, but their origins are far more bizarre.
First of all, cashews are not actually nuts, but rather fruits from the cashew tree, a large evergreen tree that thrives in tropical climates.
The tree produces red flowers, which in turn produce yellow and red oval structures resembling apples. These so-called cashew apples are very juicy and pulpy, and their juice is often added to tropical fruit drinks.
![The Origin Of The Cashew](https://800019.xyz/files/funzug/imgs/informative/origin_of_cashew_02.jpg)
However, cashew apples are not actually fruits in a scientific sense…the real fruit of the cashew tree is the kidney-shaped formation growing at the end.
![The Origin Of The Cashew](https://800019.xyz/files/funzug/imgs/informative/origin_of_cashew_03.jpg)
These fruits, also called drupes, are harvested and become what we know as a cashew nut. In their raw form, the other layer of the fruit contains multiple toxins, including anacardic acid, a powerful skin irritant similar to the toxin found in poison ivy that must be removed prior to eating.
![The Origin Of The Cashew](https://800019.xyz/files/funzug/imgs/informative/origin_of_cashew_04.jpg)
Roasting the cashews destroys the toxins, but roasting must be performed carefully outdoors because the smoke can irritate the lungs, sometimes to a life-threatening degree.
![The Origin Of The Cashew](https://800019.xyz/files/funzug/imgs/informative/origin_of_cashew_05.jpg)
Cashews, when they are roasted, change from their natural greenish-gray color to the light brown nut sold in stores.
Next time you crack open a tin of cashews, take a moment to appreciate the long journey those little c-shaped nuts took to get from the tree to your table! It also explains why they are so expensive!