Fkj Cashew

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Cashew is the common name of a tropical evergreen tree Anacardium occidentale, in the family Anacardiaceae. It is native to South America and is the source of the cashew nut and the cashew apple, an accessory fruit. The tree can grow as tall as 14 metres (46 feet), but the dwarf cultivars, growing up to 6 m (20 ft), prove more profitable, with earlier maturity and greater yields. The cashew nut is edible and is eaten on its own as a snack, used in recipes, or processed into cashew cheese or cashew butter. The nut is often simply called a 'cashew'.

In 2019, four million tonnes of cashew nuts were produced globally, with Ivory Coast and India the leading producers. As well as the nut and fruit, the plant has several other uses. The shell of the cashew seed yields derivatives that can be used in many applications including lubricants, waterproofing, paints, and, starting in World War II, arms production.[1][full citation needed] The cashew apple is a light reddish to yellow fruit, whose pulp and juice can be processed into a sweet, astringent fruit drink or fermented and distilled into liquor.

The English name derives from the Portuguese name for the fruit of the cashew tree: caju (.mw-parser-output .IPA-label-smallfont-size:85%.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-smallfont-size:100%Portuguese pronunciation: [kaˈʒu]), also known as acaju, which itself is from the Tupi word acaj, literally meaning "nut that produces itself".[3][4]

The plant has diverse common names in various languages among its wide distribution range,[4] including anacardier (French) with the fruit referred to as pomme de cajou,[13] caju (Portuguese pronunciation: [kaˈʒu]), or acaju (Portuguese).[3][4]

The species is native to tropical South America[14] and later was distributed around the world in the 1500s by Portuguese explorers.[3][15][6] Portuguese colonists in Brazil began exporting cashew nuts as early as the 1550s.[16] The Portuguese took it to Goa, formerly Estado da ndia Portuguesa in India, between 1560 and 1565. From there, it spread throughout Southeast Asia and eventually Africa.[citation needed]

The cashew tree is cultivated in the tropics between 25N and 25S, and is well-adapted to hot lowland areas with a pronounced dry season, where the mango and tamarind trees also thrive.[18] The traditional cashew tree is tall (up to 14 m) and takes three years from planting before it starts production, and eight years before economic harvests can begin.[citation needed]

More recent breeds, such as the dwarf cashew trees, are up to 6 m (20 ft) tall, and start producing after the first year, with economic yields after three years. The cashew nut yields for the traditional tree are about 0.25 metric tons per hectare, in contrast to over a ton per hectare for the dwarf variety. Grafting and other modern tree management technologies are used to further improve and sustain cashew nut yields in commercial orchards.[citation needed]

In 2014, rapid growth of cashew cultivation in Ivory Coast made this country the top African exporter.[20] Fluctuations in world market prices, poor working conditions, and low pay for local harvesting have caused discontent in the cashew nut industry.[21][22][23] Almost all cashews produced in Africa between 2000 and 2019 were exported as raw nuts which are much less profitable than shelled nuts.[24] One of the goals of the African Cashew Alliance is to promote Africa's cashew processing capabilities to improve the profitability of Africa's cashew industry.[25]

In 2011, Human Rights Watch reported that forced labour was used for cashew processing in Vietnam. Around 40,000 current or former drug users were forced to remove shells from "blood cashews" or perform other work and often beaten at more than 100 rehabilitation centers.[26][27]

Some people are allergic to cashews, but they are a less frequent allergen than other tree nuts or peanuts.[29] For up to 6% of children and 3% of adults, consuming cashews may cause allergic reactions, ranging from mild discomfort to life-threatening anaphylaxis.[30][31][32][33] These allergies are triggered by the proteins found in tree nuts, and cooking often does not remove or change these proteins.[34] Reactions to cashew and tree nuts can also occur as a consequence of hidden nut ingredients or traces of nuts that may inadvertently be introduced during food processing, handling, or manufacturing.[31][32]

The shell of the cashew nut contains oil compounds that can cause contact dermatitis similar to poison ivy, primarily resulting from the phenolic lipids, anacardic acid, and cardanol.[6][35] Because it can cause dermatitis, cashews are typically not sold in the shell to consumers.[36] Readily and inexpensively extracted from the waste shells, cardanol is under research for its potential applications in nanomaterials and biotechnology.[37]

In the 21st century, cashew cultivation increased in several African countries to meet the demands for manufacturing cashew milk, a plant milk alternative to dairy milk.[41] In Mozambique, bolo polana is a cake prepared using powdered cashews and mashed potatoes as the main ingredients. This dessert is common in South Africa.[42]

The mature cashew apple can be eaten fresh, cooked in curries, or fermented into vinegar, citric acid[44] or an alcoholic drink.[6] It is also used to make preserves, chutneys and jams in some countries, such as India and Brazil.[6] In many countries, particularly in South America, the cashew apple is used to flavor drinks, both alcoholic and nonalcoholic.[3][2]

In Brazil, cashew fruit juice and the fruit pulp are used in the production of sweets, juice, mixed with alcoholic beverages such as cachaa, and as a flour, milk, or cheese.[45] In Panama, the cashew fruit is cooked with water and sugar for a prolonged time to make a sweet, brown, paste-like dessert called dulce de maran (maran being a Spanish name for cashew).[46]

Cashew nuts are more widely traded than cashew apples, because the fruit, unlike the nut, is easily bruised and has a very limited shelf life.[47] Cashew apple juice, however, may be used for manufacturing blended juices.[47]

When the apple is consumed, its astringency is sometimes removed by steaming the fruit for five minutes before washing it in cold water. Steeping the fruit in boiling salt water for five minutes also reduces the astringency.[48]

Cashew nut oil is a dark yellow oil derived from pressing the cashew nuts (typically from lower value broken chunks created accidentally during processing), and is used for cooking or as a salad dressing. The highest quality oil is produced from a single cold pressing.[51]

Cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL) or cashew shell oil (CAS registry number 8007-24-7) is a natural resin with a yellowish sheen found in the honeycomb structure of the cashew nutshell, and is a byproduct of processing cashew nuts. As it is a strong irritant, it should not be confused with the edible cashew nut oil. It is dangerous to handle in small-scale processing of the shells, but is itself a raw material with multiple uses.[37] It is used in tropical folk medicine and for anti-termite treatment of timber.[52] Its composition varies depending on how it is processed.

This natural oil phenol has interesting chemical structural features that can be modified to create a wide spectrum of biobased monomers. These capitalize on the chemically versatile construct, which contains three functional groups: the aromatic ring, the hydroxyl group, and the double bonds in the flanking alkyl chain. These include polyols, which have recently seen increased demand for their biobased origin and key chemical attributes such as high reactivity, range of functionalities, reduction in blowing agents, and naturally occurring fire retardant properties in the field of rigid polyurethanes, aided by their inherent phenolic structure and larger number of reactive units per unit mass.[37]

CNSL may be used as a resin for carbon composite products.[55] CNSL-based novolac is another versatile industrial monomer deriving from cardanol typically used as a reticulating agent (hardener) for epoxy matrices in composite applications[56] providing good thermal and mechanical properties to the final composite material.[57]

As well as the nut and fruit, the plant has several other uses. In Cambodia, the bark gives a yellow dye, the timber is used in boat-making, and for house-boards, and the wood makes excellent charcoal.[13] The shells yield a black oil used as a preservative and water-proofing agent in varnishes, cements, and as a lubricant or timber seal.[6] Timber is used to manufacture furniture, boats, packing crates, and charcoal.[6] Its juice turns black on exposure to air, providing an indelible ink.[6]

Meet the extra creamy plant milk without any junk. Our perfectly balanced blend of real coconut cream & buttery cashews is unbelievably foamy and frothable. Steam for lattes or use as a rich base for soups, sauces, baked goods and more.

Hi
Made the cashew milk this morning. So easy to do and I love the taste.
I could not get it from our supermarket,so my husband found your recipe , so glad he did. I will not be buying it again when it is so simple.

Just made this milk, how wonderful. I was surprised by the full body taste. You can see the fat droplets rise to the surface in the soaked water, an indication of creaminess. I added some nutmeg. Thanks.

I loved this recipe. I used raw cashews and did not soak them. Blended them in Nutribullet for 2 minutes and it came out just fine. The addition of vanilla is a very good idea. I used a date to sweeten it. Thanks for the recipe! Will be making again.

You can do this with almonds too! To get the gross mold off, which is on many nuts, I first soak briefly in boiling water, then peel off the skin. Then I make creamer by adding 2 parts water to 1 part almonds. Cheaper than cashews, no straining.

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