When you picture a cashew, you probably only imagine the curved and popular nut used in a myriad of recipes. What you might not know is that the cashew plant actually has fruit on it, and the nut you’re familiar with grows from the bottom of the fruit like a little tail.
You don’t hear about people eating that fruit, also called an apple, a lot. That begs the question: what is cashew fruit used for?
That’s a great question! We’ll give you some background information on cashew fruit and its uses here.
Quick Answer: What is Cashew Fruit Used For?
Cashew fruit actually has a ton of uses! You can eat it raw, for starters. It appears in recipes originating from South America, India, and Africa, and can be used for curries, vinegar, and even drinks.
Historically, people have gotten quite creative with cashew apple.
What Does a Cashew Apple Taste Like?
The flavor of a cashew apple is surprisingly complex. We discuss it in detail here, but in brief, it has a tropical taste.
Many describe it as having zesty citrus notes with mango-like flavor.
Even the texture is entirely unique. It’s not the chewy, pulpy texture you’ve come to expect from most fruits. It’s also quite juicy, producing more juice the longer you chew.
Where Can You Get Cashew Fruit?
Cashew fruit is most common to Central and South America, as well as India. You can find quite a few snacks that use cashew apple online.
It’s not quite as easy to find the actual fruit in North America, though. You can try checking the produce section at your grocery store or you can visit your farmer’s market.
If you’re not finding them there and you’ve got your heart set on sampling a cashew apple, you can try growing your own from cashew seeds.
What Can You Use the Cashew Apple for?
There are so many recipes you can try with cashew apple! Curry is a really common way to use this exotic fruit, for instance.
However, plenty of people have also made cashew apple jams, chutneys, preserves, and juices. Some even enjoy a pungent cashew apple tea.
If you’d like some culinary inspiration, why not give this cashew apple delight recipe a try? It’s essentially a vegan kebab with a spicy and salty little twist.
Best of all, you can make it extremely quickly.
Wrap Up
There’s so much more to learn about the foods we’re familiar with. Even something as seemingly simple as a cashew can have lengthy origins and uses you’ve never even heard of before.
We hope you enjoyed learning more about the cashew plant’s fruit along with us. We know we had fun looking into its uses!
