What we popularly understand as “cashew” consists of two parts: the fruit itself, which is a nut; And its floral peduncle, the pseudo fruit – yellow, rosy or red.

It can be eaten fresh, cooked in sauces, or fermented into vinegar, as well as an alcoholic drink. The pulp can be processed into a sweet, astringent fruit drink or distilled into liqueur.

Benefits

Vitamins and fibers: The cashew apple is a soft fruit, rich in nutrients, and contains five times more vitamin C than an orange and helps protect immune cells against free radical damage.

Also an excellent source of varied kinds of fibers.

Antioxidants: Like the nut, it is a source of antioxidants (lycopene, beta carotenoids and flavonoids). It is also rich in Zinc, (helping immune system), Calcium in particular and finally, branched chain amino acids.

Usage

Very popular in Brazil, cashew is present in all brazilian homes, mainly in juices but also in homemade sweets and mixed with cachaça (“caipirinha de caju”).