Cashew

Cashew

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Trust you are been enlightened with the articles been posted by the Food Legends.

We shall be discussing this week on no other fruit but CASHEW.

Let’s start,
*DESCRIPTION OF CASHEW*

Cashew which is also known as MARON in central America and botanically known as Anacardium occidentale. It belongs to the Anacardiaceace family.

Cashew tree is a tropical evergreen tree that is evergreen tree that is originally from North-east of brazil before spreading to other parts of the world such as Africa and Asia.

The tree produces the cashew apple(flesh) and the cashew seeds that contain the cashew nuts.Both the cashew seeds(nuts) and that contain cashew apples are edible and the roots,stems and leaves are often used in folk medicines for tackling diseases.
The cashew apple has juicy palp that can be eaten fresh or used for producing fruits drinks.Some cashew species produce cashew appls that are very sweet and tasty while some can taste so sour and unpleasant.

*TAKE NOTE*
Eating unhealthy cashew apples can cause itching sensations on the throat so check well before consuming.



The cashew apple represents almost 90% of the fruit and it’s notable for it’s high content of phenolic acid and ascorbic acid.The cashew apple usually ripens into reddish,yellowish or light green/yellow fruit,it’s drupe first develops on the tree before the pedicels stretches to transform into the cashew apple.
The cashew seed has a characteristics heart-shape appearance and it is usually processed to yield the tasty edible nuts.The seed is enclosed in a double shell that contains toxic allergic phenolic resin,anacardic acid that can irritate the skin.Roasting destroys this toxic chemical,however,this must be done outdoors as the smoke from the cashew shell contains URUSHIOL that are capable of irritating the lungs.Once the seeds have been roasted,they are then broken for the nuts to be collected.The nuts are the most populally part of the cashew tree and they are usually consumed plain or used for preparing assorted dishes and even cashew oil.

CASHEW OIL
This is a dark yellow oil that is normally obtained from cashew nuts and used for cooking

*NUTRITIONAL FACTS OF CASHEW*

The cashew apple is rich in essential nutrients and it is highly valuable because it contains 5 times more vitamin C than citrus fruits such as orange. It contains 10% to 38% protein, 13% dietary fiber, 11% carbohydrates, less than 19% of dietary minerals (phosphorus, copper, manganese) and between 79 to 110% of magnesium. It is also an excellent source of vitamin K, potassium, thiamin, iron, selenium, zinc, vitamin B6,amino acids, fructose, beta -siteron and glucose