Cashew

The cashew is a tropical tree in the flowering plant. The plant is native to northeastern Brazil. It is now widely grown in tropical climates for its cashew nuts (see below) and cashew apples.

Cashew
Cashews ready for harvest in Guinea-Bissau
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Sapindales
Family:	Anacardiaceae
Genus:	Anacardium
Species:	A. occidentale
Binomial name
Anacardium occidentale L.

Cashew nut

Cashew nuts, salted

Cashew nuts are a popular snack and food source. 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.^[1]

Cashews can also be used to make cashew butter.^[2]

Because the shell of the cashew nut is toxic, it is removed before it is sold to consumers.^[3]

References

1. Harold McGee (2004). On food and cooking (see nuts and other oil-rich seeds chapter). Scribner. ISBN 978-0-684-80001-1.
2. "From Fat Burning to Cancer Protecting--Which Nut Butter is Best for You? | Care2 Healthy Living". 2013-07-05. Archived from the original on 2013-07-05. Retrieved 2021-07-07.
3. "Glossary C-G - Joyofbaking.com". www.joyofbaking.com. Retrieved 2021-07-20.