Cashews
Have you ever wondered where these delicious little nuts come from? They don’t just appear in the crescent shape that we’re so familiar with!
Sprouting like a tail from the bottom of an oddly-shaped fruit, the cashew, in its natural state, is actually very poisonous. Instead, they need to be carefully processed through drying and roasting, which rids the nuts of toxic oils and allows the shell to be removed easily.
While Vietnam, India, and Nigeria are the largest producers of cashew nuts in the world, these nuts find their humble origins in the tropical regions of Brazil. Global production of cashew nuts amounts to over 2 MILLION tons of raw nuts with an estimated value of over US$ 2 billion.
Due to its increased popularity over the past few years, the price of cashews has soared since the beginning of 2016 with a price hike of over 60% in Vietnam.
People don’t just eat cashews as snacks, but use them in Asian cooking, and now increasingly in vegan and plant-based recipes, protein bars, and even lactose-free milk. This is because cashews are not only delicious, but boast a ton of health benefits as well, including:
- Heart protective monounsaturated fats which help stabilise blood sugar, control hunger and manage weight
- High in protein
- Contains vitamins E, K, and B6, which are great antioxidants for the body
- Copper for antioxidant defenses, energy production, bones and blood vessels
- Muscle and nerve health with magnesium
- Zinc for a boost in immunity
- Reduced risk of anaemia as a source of dietary iron
At The Whole Kitchen, we use cashews in most of our products from nut mixes, to granolas and energy pearls.
How do you like to eat your cashews?
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Sources:
- https://www.livescience.com/46602-where-do-cashews-come-from.html
- https://top5ofanything.com/list/091ebdca/Cashew-Nut-producing-countries
- http://spendmatters.com/2017/07/10/cashew-nut-prices-soar-tight-supply/
- https://www.healthline.com/health/are-cashews-good-for-you#modal-close
- https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/seed-and-nut/health-benefits-of-cashews.html