TIME TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW!
It seems crazy... !!! Cashew nuts grow from the bottom of "cashew apples," (shown below). The apple portion is called an "accessory fruit," and the nut beneath the apple is the part most of us actually eat. To make things weirder, that "nut" isn't actually a nut in the botanical sense of the word -- it's a seed. Strange indeed. I had to look up a lot of information to write this blog - due to not knowing a THING about this prior to living in Belize!
One day, Michael shows up with a huge bag of "weird smelling fruit,"
hands it to me and says, "It makes great juice."
So......... I washed them and twisted off the nut.
Yes! there is a cashew inside that kidney-shaped shell.
(More on that below)
sliced them...
& steamed them,..
and voila.... fruit juice!
Really - quite tasty =)
The fruit can be eaten as well.
It has a pungent flavor from the skin and sweet, tasty insides to make a delightful snack!
Watch this short video - it explains a lot more in less than 2 minutes.
I happen to be in the 50% who likes cashew apples!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7Cq4OMj6WM#t=28
Now... about the cashews
The cashew seed is surrounded by several toxic layers. Outside the seed is a double shell filled with anacardic acid, which causes a skin rash on contact. Apparently, locals who don't do the process correctly have a lot of scars due to the splattering of the oil when the shell opens! (Guess I won't try this "at home" since I'm not a fan of acid burns. =)
On the bright side, the acid has medical uses -- it's mildly anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, and it's sometimes used to relieve toothaches. (?... or does it just eat away the tooth?) The acid can also be used to fight termites (tho` I'd have to see how they do that. All the termite nests I saw were above my head & that would mean the acid would be dripping.... possibly on me!)
In order to make the cashew seed edible, it's typically roasted to neutralize the acid -- but roasters urge caution, because the smoke that comes off the acid is itself toxic. (Yikes!)
I do believe I now know why cashews cost so much more than other "nuts."
