Cashew
| Cashew | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Ripe cashew fruit | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Sapindales |
| Family: | Anacardiaceae |
| Genus: | Anacardium |
| Species: | A. occidentale |
| Binomial name | |
|
Anacardium occidentale L. |
|
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 553 kcal (2,310 kJ) |
|
30.19 g
|
|
| Starch | 0.74 g |
| Sugars | 5.91 g
0.00 g
|
| Dietary fiber | 3.3 g |
|
43.85 g
|
|
| Saturated | 7.783 g |
| Monounsaturated | 23.797 g |
| Polyunsaturated | 7.845 g |
|
18.22 g
|
|
| Vitamins | |
| Vitamin A | 0 IU |
| Thiamine (B1) |
(37%)
0.423 mg |
| Riboflavin (B2) |
(5%)
0.058 mg |
| Niacin (B3) |
(7%)
1.062 mg |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) |
(17%)
0.86 mg |
| Vitamin B6 |
(32%)
0.417 mg |
| Folate (B9) |
(6%)
25 μg |
| Vitamin B12 |
(0%)
0 μg |
| Vitamin C |
(1%)
0.5 mg |
| Vitamin D |
(0%)
0 μg |
| Vitamin E |
(6%)
0.90 mg |
| Vitamin K |
(32%)
34.1 μg |
| Minerals | |
| Calcium |
(4%)
37 mg |
| Iron |
(51%)
6.68 mg |
| Magnesium |
(82%)
292 mg |
| Manganese |
(79%)
1.66 mg |
| Phosphorus |
(85%)
593 mg |
| Potassium |
(14%)
660 mg |
| Sodium |
(1%)
12 mg |
| Zinc |
(61%)
5.78 mg |
| Other constituents | |
| Water | 5.20 g |
|
|
|
|
|
| Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database |
|
The cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale) is a tropical evergreen tree that produces the cashew nut and the cashew apple. It can grow as high as 14 m (46 ft), but the dwarf cashew, growing up to 6 m (20 ft), has proved more profitable, with earlier maturity and higher yields.
The cashew nut, often simply called a cashew, is widely consumed. It is eaten on its own, used in recipes, or processed into cashew cheese or cashew butter. The shell of the cashew seed yields derivatives that can be used in many applications from lubricants to paints. The cashew apple is a light reddish to yellow fruit, whose pulp can be processed into a sweet, astringent fruit drink or distilled into liquor.
The species is originally native to northeastern Brazil. Major production of cashews occurs in Vietnam, Nigeria, India, and Ivory Coast.
Its English name derives from the Portuguese name for the fruit of the cashew tree caju (Portuguese pronunciation: [kaˈʒu]), which itself is derived from the Tupian word acajú, literally meaning "nut that produces itself". The generic name Anacardium, originally from the Greek, refers to the unusual location of the seed outside the core or heart of the fruit (ana- means "again" or "backward" and -cardium means "heart").
The cashew tree is large and evergreen, growing to 14 m (46 ft) tall, with a short, often irregularly shaped trunk. The leaves are spirally arranged, leathery textured, elliptic to obovate, 4–22 cm (1.6–8.7 in) long and 2–15 cm (0.79–5.91 in) broad, with smooth margins. The flowers are produced in a panicle or corymb up to 26 cm (10 in) long; each flower is small, pale green at first, then turning reddish, with five slender, acute petals 7–15 mm (0.28–0.59 in) long. The largest cashew tree in the world covers an area around 7,500 m2 (81,000 sq ft); it is located in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
The fruit of the cashew tree is an accessory fruit (sometimes called a pseudocarp or false fruit). What appears to be the fruit is an oval or pear-shaped structure, a hypocarpium, that develops from the pedicel and the receptacle of the cashew flower. Called the cashew apple, better known in Central America as marañón, it ripens into a yellow and/or red structure about 5–11 cm (2.0–4.3 in) long. It is edible, and has a strong "sweet" smell and a sweet taste. The pulp of the cashew apple is very juicy, but the skin is fragile, making it unsuitable for transport. In Latin America, a fruit drink is made from the cashew apple pulp which has a very refreshing taste and tropical flavor that can be described as having notes of mango, raw green pepper, and just a little hint of grapefruit-like citrus.
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Wikipedia