You will need to really think about this one... Have you ever seen a cashew shell?

Question

When you realize that you have not. Do you know why?

Answer 1

"...they're roasted in the shell to make it brittle and easier to open -- this also reduces the toxicity of the cashew oil.

You see, it turns out the cashew is not only related to the mango, but to poison ivy and poison oak as well. The skin and fruit surrounding the kernel (the nut-in-the-nude you find on your supermarket shelves) can cause skin eruptions just like those produced by its well-known cousins. Even the smoke from roasting the cashew can cause severe reactions."

Answer 2

Good question, thank you.
Now I think about I have not seen a cashew shell.
I do know why now. I've looked it up.

A day you don't learn something new is a wasted day. IMO.
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Yes, indeed, the cashew does have a shell. So why have most people never seen the shell? Because it’s poisonous!

As a member of the Anacardiaceae family, the cashew is related to poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac.
(Oddly enough, it’s also related to the mango.)
Thus, the shell surrounding the kernel contains oil which can irritate human skin just like its annoying relatives.
As you might expect, that makes the whole process of harvesting cashews a bit complicated.
The nut, however, is not safe or edible raw.
The delicious kernel is trapped within two shells, an oily outer layer and a thin hard one, which are separated by a honeycombed tissue.
Because the nuts are fragile and kidney-shaped, nobody has been able to develop a method of shelling them with machines.
So the nuts are actually prepared by hand.
To reduce the toxicity of the cashew oil and make the shells brittle, the nuts are first roasted.
Even this step is dangerous, though, because the smoke given off is also a poisonous irritant.
Finally, the shells are broken away by skilled workers using wooden hammers---who must be careful not to damage the nuts within!

Answer 3

Yes I have seen a cashew shell.....where there are cashew factories there are shells. Cashews are native to tropical climates and in Phuket, Thailand I visited a cashew factory once. The shells are so hard to break that they actually use a drill press with a foot pedal that is stomped and a blade is forced into the shell with high pressure. It's actually quite a procedure, but you would never see the shells unless you had a chance to visit. The factories also make incredible cashew juice mixed with seltzer water and snacks. Check it out http://www.teachmefinance.com/Countries/2006/Country/2002_06_27_woman_in_cashew_nut_factory.html Enjoy the nuts!!

Answer 4

There is no such thing as a cashew shell. Cashews are seeds not nuts, therefore they have no shells.

Answer 5

The cashew cannot shell itself and much less can you see that happen

Answer 6

cashew is one of the fruits where the seed (cashew nut) is outside the fruit (it hangs under the bell-like fruit). another example is the strawberry whose seeds are outside.

Answer 7

Hmm..maybe they are not born in shells. Maybe the WABBIT ATE THEM! Off the cashew tree, which bears SEEDS! YAY!

Answer 8

Cashews are not nuts.

Answer 9

Come to think of it, I haven't
no I don't know why.