The fleshy pulp of the cashew contains 10% sugar and a high vitamin C content (261.5mg per 100g of edible portion), which is 5-6 times higher than that found in oranges, lemons, and bananas.
From this part, juice can be extracted and fermented into a light, delicious alcohol with a strawberry aroma and a sweet, slightly sour, and astringent taste. It has nourishing effects, enhances appetite, acts as a diuretic, and helps prevent vomiting.
The cashew apple (also known as the cashew fruit) is an important economic crop in the export structure of the southern provinces. The cashew fruit is the only valuable part, consisting of two parts: the kidney-shaped true fruit that protrudes outward, which is brown, and the false fruit, which is the swollen stem of the fruit, that is yellow or red.
People often say, “The cashew fruit is food for the rich,” because roasted cashews are usually only found in specialty restaurants, and their price in the local market is many times higher than that of rice. The oil extracted from the fruit can be processed into products like paint, varnish, adhesives, insulation materials, and plastics.
The fleshy pulp (false fruit) is eaten fresh, sliced thinly, and served with salt and chili as a condiment in meals or as a dessert. This pulp is often combined with other fruits to make refreshing smoothies popular in the southern provinces, offering a delicious and unique flavor.
In terms of medicine, the cashew fruit (true fruit), mangosteen peel, and pennywort, each 30g, along with 4g of dried betel nut, are all dried, chopped, and boiled with 400ml of water until 100ml remains. Honey is then added, and this mixture is consumed twice a day to treat long-term dysentery. Diluted oil from the fruit can be applied daily to treat ringworm and cracked skin on the feet and heels.
The fleshy pulp of the cashew contains 10% sugar and a high vitamin C content (261.5mg per 100g of edible portion), which is 5-6 times higher than that found in oranges, lemons, and bananas. Juice extracted from this part can be fermented into a light, delicious alcohol with a strawberry aroma and a sweet, slightly sour, and astringent taste. It has nourishing effects, enhances appetite, acts as a diuretic, and helps prevent vomiting. For external use, this juice can be massaged onto the body to relieve aches or gargled to treat sore throats, and can also be sipped to combat nausea.
According to foreign documents, for a long time, the people of Africa have used a primitive method to kill Anopheles mosquitoes, which cause malaria, by spreading a large amount of the fleshy pulp of ripe cashew apples around water reservoirs where these mosquitoes thrive. Many research projects have shown that the acids present in the fruit inhibit the physiological processes of mosquito larvae, leading to their demise, but do not harm humans or the environment.
