All about the cashew apple
Cashew Apple Anacardium occidentale 
Everyone knows the excellent flavour of the cashew nut, but how many have tasted the juicy fruit of this plant, brought to Asia from tropical America by the Portuguese? In fact, the true fruit is what is known everywhere as he nut, and the «fruit» sold for eating is a swollen stem.
The cashew tree is widely known in tropical Asia for its medicinal properties. All parts of the tree contain a sap which is irritant, including the thin membrane between the actual nut and its hard casing. The cashew apple has a very thin skin-green when unripe and turning to yellow, pink, or more rarely, bright scarlet, when ripe.
Because of its fragility, it is not a widely available «commercial» fruit. It can, however, be found at fruit stalls near cashew-growing regions. The slightly elongated fruit is about 7 cm (2 1/2 inches) long, with an interior of white flesh. Eat the fruit only when fully ripe or it is unpleasantly astringent. The ripe fruit is sweet, crisp and juicy with a faint rose perfume.
Uses of cashew apple
In cashew-producing countries, the nut is only one of the products enjoyed by the local populations. The cashew «apple» or false fruit is an edible food rich in vitamin C. It can be dried, canned as a preserve or eaten fresh from the tree. It can also be squeezed for fresh juice, which can then be fermented into cashew wine, which is a very popular drink in West Africa. In parts of India, it is used to distil cashew liquor referred to as feni. In some parts of South America, local inhabitants regard the apple, rather than the nut kernel, as a delicacy. In Brazil, the apple is used to manufacture jams and soft and alcoholic drinks. 
The cashew tree bears a false fruit known as the cashew apple from which the nut protrudes. The cashew apple is between three and five inches long and has a smooth, shiny skin that turns from green to bright red, orange or yellow in colour as it matures. It has a pulpy, juicy structure, with a pleasant but strong astringent flavour.
The cashew apple is very rich in vitamin C (262 mg/100 ml of juice) and contains five times more vitamin C than an orange. A glass of cashew apple juice meets an adult individual’s daily vitamin C (30 mg) requirement. The cashew apple is also rich in sugars and contains considerable amounts of tannins and minerals, mainly calcium, iron and phosphorous. Furthermore, the fruit has medicinal properties. It is used for curing scurvy and diarrhoea and it is effective in preventing cholera. It is applied for the cure of neurological pain and rheumatism. It is also regarded as a first-class source of energy.
Until recently, the potential of cashew apple had not been investigated due to its highly astringent and acrid taste which is believed to originate in the waxy layer of the skin and which causes tongue and throat irritation after eating. Cashew fruit can be made suitable for consumption by removing the undesirable tannins and processing the apples into value-added products, such as juices, syrups, canned fruits, pickles, jams, chutneys, candy and toffee. The recommended methods for removing the astringent properties of the cashew apple include steaming the fruit for five minutes before washing it in cold water, boiling the fruit in salt water for five minutes or adding gelatin solution to the expressed juice.
The fruit should be picked from the tree by hand to avoid bruising the delicate flesh. They are then carefully washed and the nuts are removed for processing. Cashew apples should be processed within two to three hours of picking, since they undergo rapid deterioration when kept for a longer time.
Currently only six percent of cashew apple production is exploited, since the producer only has a guaranteed market for cashew nuts. It is also extremely difficult to use the whole fruit commercially as the apple ripens prior to the nut. The quality of nuts detached from the green fruit, is unacceptable for commercialization.
The ripe apple can be eaten or used for jam making, for the production of fruit juices or for making alcoholic beverages. The development of processing options for the cashew apple has also been limited by its high degree of perishability and consequent difficulties in transportation from growing areas to distant processing plants.
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What Do Cashew Apples Taste Like?
If you enjoy nuts, there’s a good chance you’re familiar with cashews. But did you know that they come from a type of fruit known as the cashew apple? Revered by the Brazilians but not so popular in the rest of the world, you may be wondering what cashew apples taste like? We’re about to cover their flavor, texture, and uses in the kitchen.
Table of Contents
What does a cashew apple taste like?
A cashew apple is sweet and astringent with is a complex melange of additional flavors. The yellow flesh combines hints of strawberry, mango, cucumber, cashew nuts, and bell peppers with a tropical, fruity aroma. Cashew apples have a unique spongy, creamy texture that is also fibrous and juicy. Although there doesn’t appear to be a lot of juice, as you begin chewing the pulp, the texture turns waterier. This is something that we also found in the ice cream bean.
Cashew apples have a thin waxy skin that is smooth and ranges from golden yellow to red once ripe. Each fruit is attached to two shells that encase green, kidney-shaped seeds. These are the raw cashew nuts and should be treated with care. Within the shell is a substance that can cause severe allergies. We suggest avoiding this section of the plant if you are inexperienced in handling them.
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Culinary uses
Although the cashew apple can be eaten raw, many people find the acidic, astringency of the juice unpleasant. However, if you enjoy strong flavors then slice the fruit into thin pieces to make the stringy texture more palatable. Brazilian locals will often sprinkle salt on each slice to help balance out the bitteress.
Other uses for the fruit in cooking
- The fruit is commonly pressed to extract the juice which can then be combined with other juices or added to smoothies. The juice is also popular fermented and distilled into a spirit.
- Cashew apples can be boiled into preserves, conserves, jams, chutneys, and sauces. They can also be used to make confectionery.
- The pulp can be chopped into cubes and added to soups, casseroles, and curries. Cooking the fruit will help reduce the bitter flavor.
- A traditional use for the fruit is to make a tea out of it.
- Brazilians produce a beverage called Cajuína that can be used in rituals and has medicinal benefits, while the Indians make Cashew Feni, a distilled liquor.
Popular flavor pairings: Coconut, cinnamon, strawberries, mangoes, blueberries, kale.
Do cashew apples taste any good?
As with any food, personal preferences play a key role as to whether you’ll enjoy it or not. People that don’t enjoy eating food “outside their comfort zone” will be highly unlikely to enjoy the cashew apple. Most children probably won’t enjoy it either. But those that enjoy variety when it comes to flavor, especially those that appreciate astringent, tannin-riddled foods, are likely to enjoy this fruit. Mixologists may love this fruit for cocktails, balanced out by a sweet mixer or apple juice.
Keep in mind that cashew apples are an acquired taste. It isn’t uncommon for “first-timers” to dislike the fruit, but the flavor grows on them over time.
Combining cashew apple with other sweet ingredients will help offset the flavor. In smoothies, add other tropical fruit like banana and pineapple to dial up the sweetness.
Nutritional Value
The cashew fruit is an excellent source of magnesium and also contains useful levels of potassium, iron, and copper. It is good for assisting digestion and provides useful levels of fiber. The fruit has around 250mg of vitamin C in half a cup of juice.
6 fast facts about cashew apples
- Within hours the fruit begins to spoil so they should be picked fresh and eaten on the same day if possible.
- The cashew apple is a similar shape to a pair and is roughly 4-8” in length.
- Although cashew nuts are grown in various parts of the world, it is mainly the residents of Brazil who appreciate this exotic pseudo-fruit.
- Countries like Mozambique, Vietnam, and India have sizable crops of the cashew tree, but they mostly focus on the nut rather than the fruit. Instead, the fruits are often left to rot on the ground.
- The scientific name for the cashew apple is Anacardium occidentale and it is from the Anacardiaceae family.
- Other names for the cashew include caju, kaju, acajou, maranon, cajuil, and mereh.
Summing up
The cashew apple is one of the lesser-known fruits in countries outside Brazil. It has an astringent, sweet flavor that combines a combination of tropical fruits and a hint of bell pepper in its flavor notes. The texture is stringy and juicy.
If you can get past the astringency of this fruit then it’s likely you’ll quite enjoy it. Alternatively, people that prefer simple flavors will do well to give this fruit a pass.
Are you looking to grow a cashew apple tree or have you seen the fruits for sale near where you live? Please let us know in the comments below.
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Cashew Apple
Anacardium occidentale L.
| Plate XXX: CASHEW APPLE, Anacardium occidentale |
| Fig. 66: The so-called «cashew apple», a pseudofruitactually the swollen stalk of the true fruit of Anacardium occidentale, the cashew nutis fibrous but juicy and locally popular preserved in sirup. |
| Fig. 67: Food technologists in Mysore, India, developed a candied cashew apple product, more appealing than the canned. A similar confection is made and sold in the Dominican Republic. |
The cashew is native to and northeast Brazil and, in the 16th Century, Portuguese traders introduced it to Mozambique and coastal India, but only as a soil retainer to stop erosion on the coasts. It flourished and ran wild and formed extensive forests in these locations and on nearby islands, and eventually it also became dispersed in East Africa and throughout the tropical lowlands of northern South America, Central America and the West Indies. It has been more or less casually planted in all warm regions and a few fruiting specimens are found in experimental stations and private gardens in southern Florida.
The production and processing of cashew nuts are complex and difficult problems. Because of the great handicap of the toxic shell oil, Latin Americans and West Indians over the years have been most enthusiastic about the succulent cashew apple and have generally thrown the nut away or processed it crudely on a limited scale, except in Brazil, where there is a highly developed cashew nut processing industry, especially in Ceara. In Mozambique, also, the apple reigned supreme for decades. Attention then focused on the nut, but, in 1972, the industrial potential of the juice and sirup from the estimated 2 million tons of surplus cashew apples was being investigated. In India, on the other hand, vast tonnages of cashew apples have largely gone to waste while that country pioneered in the utilization and promotion of the nut.
The apple and nut fall together when both are ripe and, in commercial nut plantations, it is most practical to twist off the nut and leave the apple on the ground for later grazing by cattle or pigs. But, where labor costs are very low, the apples may be gathered up and taken to markets or processing plants. In Goa, India, the apples are still trampled by foot to extract the juice for the locally famous distilled liquor, feni. In Brazil, great heaps are displayed by fruit vendors, and the juice is used as a fresh beverage and for wine.
In the field, the fruits are picked up and chewed for refreshment, the juice swallowed, and the fibrous residue discarded. In the home and, in a limited way for commercial purposes, the cashew apples are preserved in sirup in glass jars. Fresh apples are highly perishable. Various species of yeast and fungi cause spoilage after the first day at room temperature. Food technologists in India have found that good condition can be maintained for 5 weeks at 32º to 35º F (0º-1.67º C) and relative humidity of 85% to 90%. Inasmuch as the juice is astringent and somewhat acrid due to 35% tannin content (in the red: less in the yellow) and 3% of an oily substance, the fruit is pressure-steamed for 5 to 15 minutes before candying or making into jam or chutney or extracting the juice for carbonated beverages, sirup or wine. Efforts are made to retain as much as possible of the ascorbic acid. Food technologists in Costa Rica recently worked out an improved process for producing the locally popular candied, sun-dried cashew apples. Failure to remove the tannin from the juice may account for the nutritional deficiency in heavy imbibers of cashew apple wine in Mozambique, for tannin prevents the body’s full assimilation of protein.
Food Value Per 100 g of Fresh Cashew Apple*
| Moisture | 84.4-88.7 g |
| Protein | 0.101-0.162 g |
| Fat | 0.05-0.50 g |
| Carbohydrates | 9.08-9.75 g |
| Fiber | 0.4-1.0 g |
| Ash | 0.19-0.34 g |
| Calcium | 0.9-5.4 mg |
| Phosphorus | 6.1-21.4 mg |
| Iron | 0.19-0.71 mg |
| Carotene | 0.03-0.742 mg |
| Thiamine | 0.023-0.03 mg |
| Riboflavin | 0.13-0.4 mg |
| Niacin | 0.13-0.539 mg |
| Ascorbic Acid | 146.6-372.0 mg |
*Analyses made in Central America and Cuba.
Medicinal Uses: Cashew apple juice, without removal of tannin, is prescribed as a remedy for sore throat and chronic dysentery in Cuba and Brazil. Fresh or distilled, it is a potent diuretic and is said to possess sudorific properties. The brandy is applied as a liniment to relieve the pain of rheumatism and neuralgia.
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