How come cashews are the only nuts you never see in a shell?

Question

Just curious,how do they grow?

Answer 1

Cashew shell oil extracted from the shells is caustic and causes burns on the skin. The mucous membranes of the mouth and throat are severely affected when it comes into contact with shell oil or the irritating fumes emitted during roasting. The oily shell liquid has many uses

http://www.nda.agric.za/docs/cashews/cashew.htm

Answer 2

The cashew tree is a curious plant with multiple uses, yet we are only familiar with one of its fruits, the cashew nut. The cashew tree also produces an edible, pear-shaped fruit called the cashew apple. The cashew apple, extremely rich in vitamin C, is eaten raw, as well as made into jam, marmalade, candy, and juices. In Brazil, one of the areas where the cashew tree grows indigenously, cashew apple juice has become one of the most popular beverages. The juice can also be fermented to make an alcoholic beverage. Because the cashew apple spoils quickly, it cannot be exported; we can only enjoy it on a visit to Brazil.

Answer 3

Cashews are quite expensive and they have a reason to be...

See pix on Goggle image:
http://images.google.com/images?q=cashews&ndsp=18&svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&start=54&sa=N

They grow on the end of a fruit. A cashew nut comes from one cashew fruit. The shell is tougher to crack than a walnut shell so all imports of cashew are pre-cracked. The cashew also needs to be roasted before eating, so if you were able to buy them, you would have to prepare them before you can eat them. Most people around the world are too busy to make their own lunches, let alone crack, roast, and eat the cashew. Maybe that is why they come roasted and cracked...

They grown on trees

Answer 4

They grow at the bottom of a fruit and their shell is very irritating to the skin (has some acid in it) so they are all processed before we can eat them or touch them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cashew

Answer 5

I never thought of that. Wow--interesting question. Now I will be up half the night roaming the internet to read about cashews. (Sigh, another reason not to do the laundry and run the vacuum cleaner tonight).

Answer 6

Not too sure...maybe you should look it up on Google...you can find everything there. I'm allergic to cashews, so I hate the sight of them.

Answer 7

cashews aren't really nuts.

Answer 8

Here you go...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cashews

Answer 9

They do have a shell

why do peanuts grow underground but almonds on trees

Answer 10

They are poisonous until they are roasted,

I googled them, they grow in a banana-like cluster.