I don't like nuts. Pecans, walnuts, and almonds taste like chalk to me. I feel like I've been there and done that when I think about peanuts. The one exception was cashews. Cashews are amazing and I will not accept any arguments to the contrary. They are actually flavorful (unlike pecans, walnuts, or almonds) but they don't have the polarizing flavor of peanuts. Imagine my shock when I discovered that cashews aren't nuts; they're seeds. In fact, cashews are far more interesting than they have any right to be. Most notably, the process for making them edible is so elaborate that it is a wonder that humans discovered how to eat them at all.
The part of the cashew plant that we eat is encased in the green hull seen at the bottom of the 'cashew apple'. The cashew apple is edible but is only appetizing when made into jelly or jam.
The cashew apple is a considered a false fruit because the seed is not inside it. The casing is the true fruit (though you absolutely should not eat it). The cashew seed (in its fruit casing) is left to dry in the sun. On the outer layer is a toxic resin containing urushiol. Urushiol is also found in poison ivy, poison oak, sumac, mango sap, and pistachios. From 70 to 85 percent of people have allergic reactions when exposed to this poison. The nut must be roasted before being broken open in order to burn off the resin. The fumes from the fire can cause irritation to the eyes and skin. Often times, a second round of roasting is done to ensure that no resin remains.
The outer shell can then be broken apart and the edible cashew can be harvested. Each step, from the tree to the final product, is done by hand.
The cashews can then be sold with the label "raw", though they have already been roasted once or twice.
I have wondered in the past why cashews are so expensive. Now that I know the work that goes into making them edible, I wonder how trail mix companies can both afford and profit off of them.
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