Cashew

Anacardium occidentale

nuts & seeds

A seed that hangs beneath a fleshy, juicy false fruit, the cashew apple, of a small tree from tropical America; always heated before sale, as its shell contains an irritant latex. It provides magnesium, zinc, iron and monounsaturated fats.

Origin

Brazil (Nordeste)

Season (United States)

imported · all year round

Preparation

What is sold as "raw" has always been steam-treated: the shell holds a latex of the poison-ivy family, and nobody handles a truly raw cashew. There is nothing to fear from shop-bought ones. Soaking, sprouting or sourdough bring its phytates down — and release the zinc and iron they were holding. Its oxalates leach into water: boiling it and throwing the water out takes a good share with it.

Molecules

Plant iron · Zinc · Magnesium · Copper · Tryptophan · Phosphorus · Monounsaturated fatty acidsIn small amounts, not counted Protein · Lysine · Vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) · PhytosterolsWhat slows things down Phytates · Oxalates

Did you know?

Its genus name, Anacardium, means “above the heart”: the false fruit, sometimes red, is often heart-shaped.