ALL ABOUT CASHEWS

Cashews are one of those nuts that's actually a seed - the seed of the cashew apple! The cashew apple is a pear-shaped fruit that grows on trees in its native Brazil. Cashew apples are considered a delicacy and must be eaten as soon as possible after harvest. Thankfully, the nuts have a high concentration of oleic acid (an omega-9 fatty acid) which helps to preserve them until delivered to the consumer.

Check out this visual guide to
the cashew harvest - from tree to store!

Cashews taste sweet, creamy and rich - and they're equally as rich in vitamins and minerals. This tree nut is high in protein but low in fat, compared to most other nuts. What fat they do have is monounsaturated. They are also a great source for copper and the B vitamins, as well as phosphorous, magnesium, manganese, and zinc. Learn more about these nutrients here.

When shopping for cashews, you will never find them shelled - and if you did, you'd be risking your life! Cashew shells contain a caustic resin called urushiol or "cashew balm." This substance is toxic if ingested and skin contact will result in a blistering rash, as would happen with the cashew's cousins: poison oak and poison ivy. The balm is used industrially for varnishes, paints, and insecticides.

DID YOU KNOW?

Cashews have a big family - they are also related to mangos and pistachios.

The word cashew comes from the Tupi-Indian word acaju meaning "nut that produces itself." According to legend, the local Tupians learned how to eat cashews from capuchin monkeys. They saw the monkeys using primitive rock tools to break open the shells and eat the cashews inside.

Cashew trees have long been prized for their many useful products, including their wood, leaves, seeds, and resin. In the 16th century Portuguese explorers began transporting the tree to other tropical areas and small-scale cashew tree production grew throughout Asia and Africa. Many communities found cashew trees useful in mitigating coastal erosion as they grow best in hot, humid coastal conditions. In the 20th century, international trade took an interest in the cashew nut. Trees are now grown on an industrial scale primarily in India, which is the world's largest producer and exporter and second largest consumer of cashew nuts. Harvesting cashew nuts is labor-intensive - nuts must be hand-harvested, de-shelled, skinned, and sorted. In our modern world, the cashew nuts are the most valuable cashew product and rank among the most popular nut products sold.

November 23rd is National Cashew Day!
Celebrate by making your own cashew butter.

Suggested Flavor Pairings: turmeric, matcha, vanilla, cinnamon, coconut, chocolate, cardamom, rose, chai tea, berries

THE BEST CASHEW BUTTERS

Artisana Organics
Raw Cashew Butter

Artisana Organics prides itself on its ingredient purity – only raw organic cashews - and it shows! This nut butter is soft and easy to emulsify. Texture is a bit sticky in the mouth, as I've come to expect with peanut & cashew butters. The flavor is very fresh, clean, pure – they must be using a super high quality fatty cashew! No salt or sweetener needed. If you start with this one, you'll have a tough time switching to any other cashew butter...
[Raw, Organic, Non-GMO]

Available online and at specialty grocers.

Justin's Classic Cashew Butter

This nut butter is super smooth with a true cashew flavor. It tastes pretty salty, which isn't a bad thing and definitely enhances the cashews. It has a pudgy "memory foam" mouth feel, probably owing to the palm oil.
[Dry Roasted, Non-GMO]

Available online and at most major grocers.

YumButter Superfood Cashew Butter

(With chia seeds, hemp seeds & goji berries!) Easy emulsification thanks to the oversized pouch – did I mention there’s 6 servings per pouch?? Don’t eat it all in one sitting… Very sweet & very cashew-y! I think the seeds and superfoods are helpful in toning down the sweet and the full fatty flavor of the cashews – they add complexity and bitterness. Very smooth texture. Wow, I definitely want to keep eating more and more!
[Organic, Non-GMO, Vegan]