Cashew benefits and harm

Cashew( Anacardium occidentale) is an overseas nut, an evergreen tree of the Sumahov family, 10-15 m high, with bizarrely curved, lignified stems and branches. The lower branches often descend to the ground and take root. Cashew leaves are leathery, oval, up to 10-15 cm long;flowers are fragrant, yellowish-pink, five-petalled. Fruit is a bean-shaped edible nut with a hard coat of grayish-brown color, 3-4 cm long. The peduncle grows into a juicy pear-like formation of golden yellow or red color, 5-10 cm long( the so-called apple-acacia).

The native land of cashews is Brazil, where this tree still grows in the wild;it occurs in the West Indies, it does not grow in our country. Cashews were first discovered on the Amazon, and then appeared in most tropical countries."Cashew" is a distorted "kazha", that in the language of the South American Indians tupi means "yellow fruit".

Currently, cashews are cultivated in various tropical countries of both hemispheres.

Cashew shell contains a caustic balm with toxic substances that cause skin irritation. Therefore, the nuts are harvested in gloves and digested in a special liquid before use, after which the shell becomes harmless and fragile.

If the roasted kernel is tasteless, then after roasting and separating the shell it acquires a delicate sweet taste, vying with almonds for the right to be called the king of nuts.

The benefits of

The useful properties of cashew nut are not known to everyone. Cashews are rich in protein and carbohydrate, vitamins A, B2, B, and iron, contain zinc, phosphorus, calcium. Vitamins promote the metabolism of proteins and fatty acids in the body and reduce blood cholesterol levels, strengthen the immune system, ensure normal activity of the cardiovascular system. Cashew is the least nutritious nut and contains less fat than other nuts. Many people try to avoid using cashew nuts because of the false idea that they contain a large amount of fat. In fact, they are even less fat than almonds, walnuts, peanuts, pecans.

As an auxiliary, these nuts are used for toothache, dystrophy, metabolic disorders, anemia. In addition, in folk medicine in African countries, broths of cashew shells are treated with various skin diseases - from warts and cracks on the skin of the foot to dermatitis and psoriasis. Indian doctors use the decoction of the shell of roasted nuts and the husk of dried kernels of cashew kernels as an antidote to the bites of poisonous snakes both inside and outside( in a more concentrated solution).

From the shell of the fruit extract oil-akazhu, used in medicine and technology. It is used in the production of several kinds of resins, on the basis of which, in turn, anticorrosive varnishes, waterproof paints, etc. are made. A cashew stalks gives a gum like gum arabic. In some areas of West Africa, caustic caustic juice, nutshell balsam, local residents use to apply ritual scars and signs of tribal belonging to the skin.

Folk healers of West African countries use cashew nuts to treat toothache and gum disease. Rastolchennye kernels of nuts mix with honey and smear this mixture with sick teeth and gums.

Not so long ago, Japanese scientists found that the substances contained in the nuclei of nut can destroy bacteria that destroy tooth enamel. Apparently, toothpastes with cashew nuts will soon appear. And in the countries of Africa, local healers have long been mixing shredded cashew nuts with honey and smearing this mixture with aching teeth and inflamed gums.

In folk medicine in West Africa, broth cashew shells treat various skin diseases - from warts and cracks on the skin of the foot to dermatitis and psoriasis.

To prepare the broth, several shells of freshly cut nuts are split and boiled for about half an hour in a small amount of water( 0.5 kg of shell per 300 g of water).Then the liquid is drained, filtered and oiled with sore spots.

Cashews in cooking

As already mentioned, cashews have a fairly low calorie content, but they are already fried and salted, which makes them more caloric. In general, the use of cashew nuts in cooking is extremely wide: it is an excellent independent snack, and a wonderful ingredient in salads, first and second courses, sauces and confectionery. Cashew nuts are very popular in Asian, Indian cuisines;also they produce an excellent oil, more tender than peanut butter.

Cashew can be added to curry, fried vegetables and rice dishes, fried in butter with spices and served with a snack for drinks. Apparently, given the similarity of the chemical composition of cashew nuts to others( for example, walnuts or peanuts), they can be used in the same way as most nuts( in the form of walnut milk, ground with honey and dried fruits, as well as in food) for preventioncardiovascular, oncological and other diseases.

"Milk" cashews

Raw cashew nuts - 250 g;sugar - 1 tbsp.a spoon;water 750 g. Mix all the ingredients in the mixer at high speed and strain the "milk" through a clean sieve.

Cashew butter

Yield 225 g

Cook the same way as peanut butter, but instead of peanuts use roasted or regular cashew nuts.225 grams of toasted cashew, 1 tbsp.spoon of oil, salt( optional).In a blender mixer, prepare the puree mass from the nuts, bringing it to the consistency of the paste, stopping after a few seconds to scrape the mass off the sides. Add butter and stir again. If desired, season with salt. Store in a jar with a screw cap in the refrigerator.

Freshly sprinkled pineapple and cashew cashews

4 servings of

225 g of coarse cabbage patched on a coarse grater, 2 green apples diced, 2 red apples diced, 4 slices of fresh pineapple, diced, 4 tbsp.tablespoons sunflower oil, 2 tbsp.spoons of apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp.spoons of soft cheese with mildew, mashed with a small amount of cream, 1 teaspoon of salt, freshly ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 tbsp.a spoonful of low-fat cream or sour cream, 4 tbsp.spoons of cashew nuts.

Combine in a large bowl cabbage, apples and pineapple. In a smaller bowl, pour the vegetable oil, vinegar, put the cheese, salt, a decent pinch of pepper, cumin seeds and sugar. After whipping the cream, beat the mixture well. Add the coleslo to this mixture. Serve on four plates. Lastly sprinkle with cashew nuts.

Paela from cashew nuts

4 servings

1 tbsp.a spoonful of olive oil, 1 cut onion leek, 1 cut red sweet pepper, 100 g of chopped mushrooms, 225 g of long grain rice, 100 g of cashew nuts, 600 ml of vegetable broth, freshly ground black pepper, a pinch of dried herb mixture, salad.

Heat the oil and gently cook the vegetables for 5 minutes until cooking. Add rice and fry, stirring, for 3 more minutes. Add the nuts, broth and seasonings, bring to a boil, keep on a low heat for about 30 minutes until rice is ready and soaking in almost all the water, stirring occasionally. Serve hot with salad.

Carrots with cashew nuts

1 glass of peeled, thinly sliced ​​and squeezed carrots, 1/3 cup peeled from the stem and seeds and finely chopped red sweet pepper, 1/3 cup toasted and chopped cashew nuts, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2tablespoons of yogurt or sour cream, 11/2 tablespoons of melted or vegetable oil, 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds, 1 tablespoon large freshly chopped cilantro or finely chopped parsley.

Mix in a bowl of carrots, sweet pepper, nuts, salt and yogurt or sour cream. Preheat melted or vegetable oil in a small cast-iron frying pan over medium heat. Without leading up to the appearance of smoke, put the seeds of mustard and fry until they become bluish and begin to crack. Pour the seasoning into the salad, add fresh herbs and mix.

Chicken salad with oranges and cashew nuts

3 oranges, 1 cup of rice, 2 cups of water, 175 ml of vinegar seasoning, 2 teaspoons of mustard, 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, 450 g of boiled chicken meat, 3 tablespoons of chopped chopped onion, 100 g of roasted cashew nuts, salt, black pepper, cucumber( for decoration).

For vinegar seasoning: 3 tablespoons of red wine vinegar, 130 ml of vegetable oil, salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation of vinegar seasoning. Mix the vinegar with salt and pepper and beat to dissolve the salt. Gradually add the oil, whisking.

Thinly clean one orange, taking off only the zest and leaving a white flesh. Mix rice and orange peel in a saucepan with water, add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook on very low heat for 15-20 minutes until the rice is soft and absorbs all the water. Peel the remaining oranges and cut slices, collecting all the juice. Add the orange juice in the vinegar seasoning together with the mustard and sugar and beat. If necessary, salt and pepper. When the rice is cooked, remove the saucepan from the fire and open it to cool slightly. Throw out the orange peel. Put the rice in a salad bowl and add half of the seasoning. Mix well and cool. Chop the chicken into cubes and put it into the rice. Add the chives, cashew nuts, orange slices and the remaining seasoning. Mix gently. Decorate the prepared salad with cucumber slices. When serving, salad should be at room temperature.

Cookies with cashew nuts

100 grams of cashew nuts, 150 g of butter or margarine, 120 g of sugar, 3 egg yolks, 140 g of flour, 50 g of starch.

Grind cashew nuts. Put the baking sheet in parchment. Beat to a thick foam with butter and sugar. Add the yolks and mix thoroughly until smooth. Sift the flour and mix it with starch and ground cashew nuts. Add to the whipped mass and mix again. Fill the pastry bag with a batter. Make asterisks the size of a walnut, spirals, circles and other figures. Put them on a baking tray. To refrigerate 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 180 ° C.Bake the cookie for 20 minutes until it turns golden.

Harm

Unlike other nuts, cashews are never sold in shells. And all because between the shell and the shell, behind which the walnut is hidden, contains a very corrosive substance cardol, which, when in contact with the skin, causes serious dermatological problems( the skin is covered with extremely painful blister-burns).Therefore, before you go on sale, the nuts are very carefully removed from the shell and the shell, after which, as a rule, special heat treatment is carried out until the oil evaporates completely( even a small amount of which can cause poisoning).Cutting nuts is done only manually, and this process is dangerous: even among experienced "razdelshchiki" nuts are often observed cases of burns cardol.

If you find yourself in some tropical country and you will have the opportunity to clean cashews on your own, do not even try - it's very dangerous!