1964 Awake! - Theocratic Collector.com

P·FFIT! What a
tantalizing aroma! A
can of mixed nuts has
just been opened. Just
look at them: jumbo
peanuts, luscious bra·
zils, tasty almonds,
tangy pecans and
sweet cashews. Some
people prefer to pick
out the cashews first. They like their salty
sweet flavor, which adds flavor to all the
other nuts.
But do you know from where these tasty
cashevvs come? Did you know that they
were once attached at the end of a pear·
shaped fruit on a tree that may have been
forty feet high? Would it surprise you to
know that they were poisonous when
picked? Yes, the cashew is a fascinating
nut that you no doubt will enjoy learning
more about.
The Cashew Tree
If you live in a tropical or subtropical
climate you may be accustomed to seeing
the spreading cashew evergreen tree, which
usually grows to a height of from twenty
to forty feet. Its large, four-inch·wide and
six-inch-Iong, leathery green leaves pro·
vide refreshing refuge from the hot tropi·
cal sun. During its blooming period of two
to three months it is adorned with clusters
of bright pink, red, purple and white
flowers.
The cashew tree, first found in South
America, was taken to Africa and India,
where it now flourishes. In fact, cashew
nuts have become one of India's major ex·
22
ports, some 100,000,000
pounds being shipped to other
countries per year. The United
States receives about 80 percent
of this trade.
Besides yielding a deli·
cious nut, the cashew tree
produces an eatable fruit;
it is called the cashew apple
because of a slight similarity
to the apple in taste. The way
the nut and the apple grow to·
gether on the same stem is in·
teresting.
The inch·long, kidneyshaped
nut forms first at the end of the
stem. You will notice from the illustration
that there are some stems that have the
nut, but on which the apple has not yet ap·
peared. You will also observe, however,
that the nut leaves a space two or three
times its size for the forming of the red·
dish or yellow-colored, pear-shaped apple.
In time, when both the apple and the nut
are mature, the nut gives the appearance
of having been forcibly sunk into the lower
end of the apple.
Here in Venezuela during the months of
January to March it is interesting to visit
the blooming rnere.1J trees, as the cashews
are called in Spanish-speaking countries.
Since the formation of the nut and the ripening
of the fruit are in different stages,
you can see blossoms, green nuts and ripened
fruit all at the same time during the
producing period.
Preparing the Nut
The cashew nut has two walls or shells.
The outer wall has a smooth, thin, glasslike
surface, which, however, is quite strong.
It is olive green in color Wltil it matures,
at which time it becomes strawberry roan.
Between this wall and t.he harder inner
A WAKE I