The Nutrional Health Facts of Cashews By Kate Meyers Cashew
nuts, a richly sweet product of the cashew tree, have gained
popularity in North America and Europe not only for their
succulent flavor but for health benefits, too. Whether roasted,
salted, sugared or covered in chocolate, the cashew nut, often
used as a flavorful complement to appetizers, main dishes and
deserts, packs a mix of nutrients and minerals not found in many
common foods. Cashew nuts, native to equatorial South America,
are actually seeds, found growing on the end of the cashew
apple, an edible and nutrient rich South American treat that is
too fragile to export to North America or Europe . Also known by
the botanical name Anacardium occidentale, the cashew is a close
relative of mangos, pistachios, poison ivy and poison oak. It
was first introduced on a worldwide scale by Portuguese
explorers in South America in the 16 th century, but
international trade didn’t take off until the 1920s. Sometimes
called “nature’s vitamin pill,” cashew nu