Did you know? Cashew Nuts are not a nut.

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I thought I would extend the 'What fruits are veg and what veg are fruits' into nuts and seeds...

So did you know that cashew nuts are actually a seed? Me neither. And there is a Cashew Apple as well.

They are botanically a seed not a nut because there is a cashew apple involved in their production from the ovaries of the flower. Seeds are usually surrounded by flesh similar to an apple or pear, but there is no reason as to why it has to be around the seed, provided that the flash is there with the seed.

These two threads are quite interesting.

• http://mentalfloss.com/article/31226/cashew-nuts-grow-out-crazy-apples
• http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=98

 

[Berties]

It's another it's what it should be not what you think it is!
I do find these facts interesting,

 

[DancingLady]

That is very interesting. I have known that cachews are different since eating just 2-3 of them never fails to upset my stomach. They also have a rather different flavor which I have always strongly disliked. I actually couldn't even swallow them as a kid because they tasted so bad to me which may be why my stomach never learned how to digest them.

 

[Duck59]

Cashews, like other tree nuts (and yes, I'm counting them as a nut for the purposes of this), contain quite a lot of fat, but it's generally healthy fat. I had a bit of a cholesterol problem a couple of years ago and my doctor sent me to see a nutritionist. She said, "By all means eat nuts," but with the caveats that they should be tree nuts and not salted.

The only shame, from a UK perspective, is that they are a bit costly. I remember coming back from a holiday in the sub-continent and buying a giant pack of cashews at Doha airport. The same amount of money in Britain would have bought me about four cashews.

 

[Pat]

I love cashew nuts and I am surprised that they are not really a nut. I will continue to enjoy them now that I know although I do not get to enjoy them as often as I like.

 

[Food4thought]

I was aware that cashews are not really nuts, just as peanuts are not nuts, but nutritionally they have the same benefits.

I also knew that cashews in their raw state are toxic and that we buy them after the toxic covering has been removed through cooking.

I have always thought of the cashew as being somehow a special type of 'nut' that I occasionally like to eat or to use in cooking as a treat.

 

[Duck59]

Cashews go very well with a pint of good ale (well, several pints, preferably). They are also a lovely addition to a curry.