Cashew fruit
"Cashew fruit" is one of the most confusing terms in food botany. The cashew tree produces an unusual two-part structure: a fleshy pseudofruit (the cashew apple) and a hard drupe hanging from its bottom (what most people call the "nut"). The kernel everyone eats is the seed inside that drupe. Here's how it all fits together.
The apple
Pseudofruit (technically a swollen pedicel). Yellow to red. Fleshy, juicy, perishable.
The drupe
Hard kidney-shaped fruit body hanging below the apple. Contains the seed inside.
The kernel
The edible seed inside the drupe. What you buy in stores as "cashew nut".
The structure, top to bottom
- Cashew apple — the fleshy "fruit" that everyone sees in photos. Botanically, it's a pseudofruit or accessory fruit — formed from the swollen pedicel (the flower stalk) rather than the ovary. Yellow to red when ripe, pear-shaped, fleshy, juicy, astringent.
- Drupe (the "nut") — hanging from the bottom of the cashew apple is a kidney-shaped, hard-shelled drupe. This is the actual fruit of the tree in botanical terms — a single-seeded drupe like a peach pit or olive.
- Outer shell — the tough, leathery outer layer of the drupe.
- CNSL layer — between the outer and inner shells is a layer of cashew nut shell liquid — a caustic phenolic resin containing anacardic acid. Contact with raw CNSL causes burns; ingestion is toxic before processing.
- Inner shell — a thin, hard layer protecting the kernel.
- Kernel — the edible seed inside, kidney-shaped, the part you eat.
The cashew apple — the world's most underused fruit
The cashew apple is the bigger, fleshier part of the structure — typically 5-11 cm long, 4-8 cm wide. It tastes uniquely sweet-tart with strong astringency from tannins, and a tropical aroma that's been compared to bell pepper, pear, and citrus all at once.
The problem: it's extremely perishable. The apple bruises easily and starts to ferment within 24-48 hours of picking. It's also high in tannins, making fresh consumption an acquired taste. International cold-chain logistics for cashew apple have never been economic at scale.
As a result, while the world produces approximately 8-10 million tonnes of cashew apples annually (alongside roughly 4 million tonnes of RCN), the vast majority of cashew apples are:
- Eaten fresh by farm workers and local consumers
- Processed into juice (cajuína in Brazil), spirits (feni in Goa), and preserves
- Or simply discarded when the kernel (drupe) is the main commercial product
The drupe — what we call the "cashew nut"
The kidney-shaped drupe hangs at the bottom of the cashew apple, attached by a thin stalk. It's the actual fruit of Anacardium occidentale in botanical terms. Inside, separated by a layer of caustic CNSL resin, is the single seed — the kernel.
The kernel cannot be eaten raw. The CNSL must be neutralized (typically by steaming at 100°C for 20-30 minutes) before the shell can be cracked and the kernel safely extracted. This is why "raw cashews" sold in stores are still processed cashews — they've been steam-treated to remove CNSL but not roasted.
Botanically, what's it related to?
The cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale) belongs to the family Anacardiaceae, which includes some surprising relatives:
- Mango — closest commercial relative
- Pistachio
- Poison ivy, poison oak, sumac — yes, really. The CNSL toxin is chemically similar to urushiol in poison ivy.
- Marula — another tropical fruit tree
The shared family explains the CNSL toxicity: it's the cashew tree's version of the same phenolic chemistry that makes poison ivy a problem to touch.
FAQ
Is the cashew a fruit or a nut? +
Both, and neither — botanically speaking. The cashew tree produces a fleshy pseudofruit (the cashew apple) with a hard drupe (the "nut") hanging from its base. The "nut" is technically a seed inside the drupe, not a true nut. Culinarily, the kernel is treated as a nut.
What does the cashew apple taste like? +
The cashew apple has a unique sweet-tart flavour — astringent, slightly fibrous, somewhere between a pear and a tropical citrus. The taste varies by ripeness and cultivar. It is highly perishable, which is why it rarely appears in international markets outside of Brazil, India, and parts of Africa.
Can you eat the cashew apple? +
Yes. The cashew apple is eaten fresh in producing countries — particularly Brazil and parts of India and West Africa. It is juiced (cajuína in Brazil), fermented and distilled into spirits (feni in Goa, India), or used in jellies, vinegars, and preserves. Outside producer countries, it is rarely seen because of perishability.
Why don't we see cashew fruit in supermarkets? +
The cashew apple bruises easily and ferments within 24-48 hours of picking. International shipping requires cold-chain logistics that haven't been economical at scale. Most of the world's cashew apple is consumed locally, processed into juice or alcohol at origin, or discarded as the kernel (drupe) is the main commercial product.
Is the cashew apple safe to eat raw? +
Yes, fully safe to eat raw when ripe. Unlike the raw drupe (which contains caustic CNSL), the cashew apple has no toxic compounds. The astringency comes from tannins which mellow as the apple ripens.
What part of the cashew fruit is the nut? +
The "nut" is the seed contained inside the kidney-shaped drupe that hangs at the bottom of the cashew apple. The drupe has a hard outer shell, a layer of caustic CNSL (cashew nut shell liquid), an inner shell, and the edible kernel inside. The kernel must be steam-processed to neutralize CNSL before it can be eaten.