Cashews: The 7 Year Nut

Like the pistachio, the mango, and the less popular poison oak, the cashew belongs to the Anacardiaceae family. The Tupi-Indians influenced the Portuguese with their word for the nut, “acaju”, from which came the Portuguese “caju”. The English then created their word for the nut, which we use today: cashew.

The cashew tree is presumed to have originated in Brazil. Brazil’s extreme heat and tropics provide optimum conditions for the perennial evergreen cashew tree, which can expect a thirty to forty year life span. This vigorous plant can be cultivated very easily and is drought-resistant.

The cashew tree can reach heights of forty to fifty feet. At this height, it is difficult to see the fruit of the tree: the cashew apple. The cashew apple is shaped like a goose egg and is as big as an adult fist. The cashew nut hangs from the cashew apple. As delicious as the cashew is, it will take three to four years of anticipation before the tree will start to bear fruit. Maximum production will not take place until around seven years.

Cashew trees will flower for two to three months, from the flower, the cashew develops. The cashew apple actually matures and swells in between the flower and the cashew, about two months after the cashew itself. The cashew apple will only keep for about one day after picking or falling from its tree, while the cashew can keep for about a year after being dried. The cashew nut will usually be dried in the sun directly following harvest. Un-roasted cashews should not be eaten, due to the poisonous compounds which reside in the shell of the nut. Processing methods have improved considerably since the commercial production of the cashew nut, but without roasting one might develop blisters or contact dermatitis from any resin that might remain on the cashew nut from its shell.

Cashew kernels undergo a grading process dependant on color, size, shape, moisture content (reasonably dry being preferred), insect damage, rancidity, presence of black spots, scorching, and size. Cashews are a good source of many nutrients needed by the body including Monounsaturated fat, Polyunsaturated fat (Linoleic 18:2), protein, fiber, phytosterols, and Iron.

Cracking the cashew nut without breaking the kernel is quite a difficult task. It is, therefore, easier and cheaper to produce the lesser grades of cashews, which are those that include cashew halves, buts, and pieces. It is even cheaper still, to produce the scorched or spotted cashews. Art’s Cashews are whole Indian grade cashews, not halves, buts, or pieces and are ALWAYS of the highest quality. Which is why they taste so good!

We provide Art’s Nuts direct to the public by the case at our online Art’s Nuts Product Catalog.