Why are cashews bad for You?
Roasted cashews are preferred due to its enhanced flavour and crunchier texture. Raw and roasted cashews have very similar nutritional values. Raw cashews usually have slightly more nutrition (e.g. mineral content like iron and selenium) compared to roasted cashews, however the numbers are insignificant.
Are raw cashews healthier than roasted?
Like most nuts, cashews may also help improve your overall health. They’ve been linked to benefits like weight loss, improved blood sugar control, and a healthier heart. This article reviews the nutrition, benefits, and downsides of cashews to determine whether they’re good for you. Cashews are rich in a range of nutrients.
Are cashews really good for You?
The taste of cashews can be summed up as nutty-tasting peanuts, if that makes sense. Taste would also depend on if the cashews were raw or roasted and if they were salted or unsalted. Why do cashews taste so good compared to other dry fruits like almonds and walnuts?
What do cashews taste like?
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How are cashew nuts grown and harvested?
Cashew nut shells are attached to the bottom of the cashew apple, both of which form fully in the dry season. When it comes to harvesting cashew nuts, they are twisted and removed from the apples – usually by hand. If they are super ripe, the nuts will detach themselves and fall to the ground.
Are cashews ethical?
It may seem straightforward to most, that because cashews are seeds, they're inherently ethically harvested. This is unfortunately far from the truth. The human dimension of food production is critically important, and relevant, when considering the impacts of cashews.
How are cashews born?
The drupe first develops on the tree and then the pedicel expands to become the cashew apple. The drupe becomes the true fruit, a single shell-encased seed, which is often considered a nut in the culinary sense.
Where do most of the cashews come from?
The domesticated cashew tree is native to the New World but commercially cultivated mainly in Brazil and India. The seeds, rich in oil and distinctively flavoured, are commonly used in South and Southeast Asian cuisine and are a characteristic ingredient of numerous chicken and vegetarian dishes of southern India.
Which country eats the most cashews?
Cashew Apple Consumption in India Not only is India one of the biggest producers of cashews in the world, but the country also consumes the most cashews in the world. In fact, India consumes so many cashews that they eat double the amount of cashews as the next largest consumer, the United States.
Why are cashews never sold in the shell?
In order to protect customers from skin allergies, cashew nuts are removed from their shells because the seed contain a harmful substance called urushiol and also the shells have a lining that is filled with this toxic fluid, so that is the reason why cashews are not sold in their shell.
Can you grow a cashew tree from a cashew?
Cashew trees can be grown from seeds, air layering, and grafting. To propagate it from seeds, you will need a matured unshelled nut (seed). These seeds are viable for up to 4 months. If you have collected the fresh seed from the tree, dry it in the sun for 3 days and soak it in water overnight before sowing.
Why is a cashew not a true nut?
On the other hand, the fruits of the cashew, almond, and pistachio plants are not true nuts, but are rather classified as “drupes.” Drupes are fruits that are fleshy on the outside and contain a shell covering a seed on the inside. What we consume is this seed.
What are the disadvantages of eating cashew nuts?
Cashew nuts may also cause bloating, constipation, weight gain, and joint swelling in some people. But these side effects are rare. When applied to the skin: There isn't enough reliable information to know if cashew is safe. If the unroasted cashew is used it might cause skin irritation, redness, and blisters.
Where is the cashew capital of the world?
KollamThe Cashew business in Kollam is based in the eponymous city, which is known as the Cashew Capital of the World. Kollam is the largest processed cashew exporter in the world. As of 2011 there were more than 600 cashew processing units in the city.
Where does the US get its cashews?
While many of the cashews produced for commerce come from Africa and India, the cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale) is native to tropical regions of Brazil.
How long does a cashew tree take to grow?
Cashew nut trees (Anacardium occidentale) are native to Brazil and grow best in tropical climates. If you want to grow cashew nut trees, keep in mind that it will take two to three years from the time you plant until the time you harvest nuts.
Is cashew milk ethical?
All in all, cashew milk is considered a sustainable choice since it uses minimal land to grow the plants, especially compared to other plant-based milks. The downfall of cashews is the cruel treatment of cashew pickers.
Can cashews be genetically modified?
GMO, or genetically modified organism, refers to any organism whose genetic makeup has been modified in a laboratory through genetic engineering or other transgenic technology. This can apply to a plant, animal, or microorganism—even a cashew.
Are cashews considered vegan?
Killer cashews From simple snacking to creating indulgent cashew cheeses and raw desserts, cashews are staples in vegan cuisine. But beware of the shells because they are severely toxic, as cashews come from the same plant family as poison ivy.
Are cashews or almonds more sustainable?
For this reason I would recommend avoiding almonds due to how water intensive they are to produce and their high CO2e footprint; and cashew nuts, because of the toxic oils which cause real damage to the workers, and because of their high water footprint.
Etymology
The cashew gets its name from the Portuguese term “caju” which is borrowed from the Tupian term “acaju” which translates to “the nut that is self-productive.” The binomial name of the cashew is “Anacardium” which originate from the Greek words “ana” and “kardia” which translate to “above heart” as a reference to the unusual positioning of the seed above the cashew fruit’s core (heart)..
Habitat and Range
The cashew tree is native to Brazil. The Portuguese were responsible for spreading the tree in other regions and introduced the cashew tree to India in the 1550s. From India, the tree spread all over Southeast Asia and finally reached West Africa.
Growth
The cashew tree is an evergreen plant having broad leather-textured leaves. The traditional cashew tree can grow to reach 46 feet tall. A notable exception is the Cashew Tree of Pirangi which is among the largest trees in the world. This gigantic cashew tree covers an area of over 81,000 square feet.
Production
The global production of cashews reached more than 0.738 million tons in 2015. India and Cote d’Ivoire are the world’s largest and second-largest producers of cashews respectively, with the annual production in India being over 172,700 tons while Cote d’Ivoire produces more than 171,000 tons of cashews each year.
The Toxic Nature of Cashew Nut Production
Most of the world's cashews are painstakingly shelled by hand. In India alone, more than a million workers shell cashews as their full-time job. The average worker will produce 175 pounds (80 kg) of cashew nuts per day. That's over 52,000 cashews processed by hand, per person, per day.
How You Can Help: Support Fair Trade
Despite the trend, ethical cashew companies do exist and need your support. The best way to help raise awareness and help end cruel conditions and forced labor is to buy fair trade cashews. These items are always marked with a fair trade logo of some kind.
Market Overview
The US cashew market is estimated to register a CAGR of 3.1% during the forecast period (2021-2026).
Scope of the report
Cashews are kidney-shaped edible nuts, rich in oil, protein, and fat. The study analyzes the global scenario of the cashew market. The report covers production (by volume), consumption (by value and volume), trade (by value and volume), and price trend analysis of cashew at a macro-level, in addition to the value chain analysis.
Key Market Trends
In the United States, in-shell cashew imports are very low in volume and have been decreasing significantly since 2017. According to the ITC Trade Map, the country imported 143 metric ton of in-shell cashew in 2020, which is almost 56.4% less than the 328 metric ton imported in 2017.
