QUICK. Close your eyes and think of a cashew.
Did you imagine one of these tiny wooden bananas? Then good! You know what a cashew is.
It turns out that cashews don't just spontaneously appear on the earth's surface. They grow! (Duh.)
But before I show you how they grow I need you to look at these puppies and remember a time when the world was good and pure.
OK, TAKE A DEPP BREATH! THIS is how cashews grow:
Please observe the two parts: the cashew apple (the fruity, colorful part) and the cashew nut (still encased in the shell).
First, you pick the entire fruit 'n' nut combo.
Then you remove the nut from the fruit.
AND THEN THINGS START GETTING WACKY. The nuts are dried, steamed, and then hand-cracked.
Every cashew you've ever eaten has been fondled by a very dexterous stranger. WE ARE ALL CONNECTED.
Then ever-so-gingerly the nut meat is removed from the shell.
And then there's this whole sorting process I'm not going to get into because I know you have a family and a life.
Back to the appley part, though. Yes, you can eat it. But it's better used in juices, jams, and chutneys since the flesh is kind of bitter and runny.
