# Tell me about cashew fruits **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 6, 2005, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-cashew-fruits/297950 "2005-04-06T00:43:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-cashew-fruits/297950/1 "2005-04-06T00:43:47Z")
I like cashew nuts. I once read in one of Avram Davidson’s Limekiller stories, set in the fictional Central American country of British Hidalgo ([http://www.avramdavidson.org/hidalgo.htm](http://www.avramdavidson.org/hidalgo.htm)), that the cashew tree bears an edible fruit as well as a nut. The Wikipedia confirms this, with a picture: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cashew](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cashew) But I’ve never seen a cashew fruit outside a picture, let alone tasted one. Have any of you? What are they like? Why are they not sold in supermarkets here? ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-cashew-fruits/297950/2 "2005-04-06T01:46:54Z")
Just as a guess, but not all fruits have a long enough shelf life to be shipped and sold. You never see paw-paws for sale in the supermarket, and they are a North American native. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2005, 8:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-cashew-fruits/297950/3 "2005-04-06T08:29:58Z")
I’ve only read about cashew fruits. Technically, they’re not fruits - they’re swollen stems. The cashew nut hangs below the cashew pear (which gives you a clue as to the shape of the “fruit”). One interesting thing about cashews is that the nuts grow inside a double-walled shell, and there is a caustic substance between the walls. I guess the plant attracts animals that consume the fruit and leave the seed. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-cashew-fruits/297950/4 "2005-04-14T03:36:41Z")
But is there any Doper who has actually eaten a cashew fruit? Are they any good? ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-cashew-fruits/297950/5 "2005-04-14T10:57:28Z")
[QUOTE=DrFidelius] Just as a guess, but not all fruits have a long enough shelf life to be shipped and sold. [quote] From that Wikipedia page: > [@](#): > > The cashew apple contains much tannin _and is very perishable_. For this reason, in many parts of the world, the false fruit is just dumped after removal of the cashew nut. I guess that explains it. I never knew that the cashew nut shell was a skin irritant though - sounds nasty: [quote] Cashew fruit contain a potent skin irritant toxin called urushiol within the dark green nut shells. This must be removed when the seed inside is processed for consumption; this is done by shelling the nuts, a somewhat hazardous process, and exceedingly painful skin burns (similar to poison ivy burns) among processing workers are frequent. [quote] > [@DrFidelius](#): > > You never see paw-paws for sale in the supermarket, and they are a North American native. 😕 I’m pretty sure you get paw-paws (or papayas as we call them) in supermarkets here in the UK ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 10:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-cashew-fruits/297950/6 "2005-04-14T10:57:36Z")
[QUOTE=DrFidelius] Just as a guess, but not all fruits have a long enough shelf life to be shipped and sold. [quote] From that Wikipedia page: > [@](#): > > The cashew apple contains much tannin _and is very perishable_. For this reason, in many parts of the world, the false fruit is just dumped after removal of the cashew nut. I guess that explains it. I never knew that the cashew nut shell was a skin irritant though - sounds nasty: > [@](#): > > Cashew fruit contain a potent skin irritant toxin called urushiol within the dark green nut shells. This must be removed when the seed inside is processed for consumption; this is done by shelling the nuts, a somewhat hazardous process, and exceedingly painful skin burns (similar to poison ivy burns) among processing workers are frequent. > [@DrFidelius](#): > > You never see paw-paws for sale in the supermarket, and they are a North American native. 😕 I’m pretty sure you get paw-paws (or papayas as we call them) in supermarkets here in the UK ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 10:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-cashew-fruits/297950/7 "2005-04-14T10:59:58Z")
Oops - double post _and_ skronky coding. Gah. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-cashew-fruits/297950/8 "2005-04-14T11:06:41Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > 😕 I’m pretty sure you get paw-paws (or papayas as we call them) in supermarkets here in the UK The term pawpaw refers to more than one species of fruit; the American one isn’t the papaya, but (IIRC) is related to the custard apples (cherimorya, soursop etc). ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2005, 11:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tell-me-about-cashew-fruits/297950/9 "2005-04-14T11:08:07Z")
[http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pawpaw.html](http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pawpaw.html)