Description

The cashew tree is a tropical evergreen that produces the cashew nut and the cashew apple.The cashew nut is served as a snack or used in recipes, like other nuts, although it is actually a seed. The cashew apple is a fruit, whose pulp can be processed into a sweet, astringent fruit drink or distilled into liqueur.

Nutritional Value

Cashews, as with other tree nuts, are a good source of antioxidants. Alkyl phenols, in particular,are abundant in cashews. Cashews are also a source of dietary trace minerals copper, manganese, magnesium and phosphorus. Minerals, especially manganese, potassium, copper, iron, magnesium, zinc, and selenium are concentrated in these nuts.

Health Benefits

They are packed with soluble dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals and numerous health-promoting phyto-chemicals that help protect us from diseases and cancers. The nuts are also carry a small amount of zea-xanthin, an important pigment flavonoid antioxidant, which selectively absorbed into the retinal macula luteal in the eyes to protect from UV rays.

Nutritional Facts

For 100g

·        Carbohydrates           23%

·        Dietary Fiber               32.5%

·        Protein                         8.5%

History

In the sixteenth century, Portuguese traders introduced the tree to India where it has more recently become an important export crop equal to that of Brazil. Other countries that grow and export cashews include Sri Lanka, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Colombia, Guatemala, Venezuela, the West Indies, Nigeria, Mozambique, Tanzania, and Kenya. The United States is the largest importer of cashew nuts.