Cashew nuts - a storehouse of vitamins and minerals

About what the cashew nuts are, not everyone knows, and the popularity of this delicacy is growing and growing. Someone thinks that this is an exotic fruit, others - a salad ... In fact, cashews are the most common, unsightly bent shape, a nut that has, however, a wonderful taste and a lot of useful qualities.

Indians of the Tikkun tribe, who live in Brazil, considered the birthplace of these nuts, cashews are called "acaju" and translated as "yellow fruit". From this word, and there was a common Portuguese name "caju". The cashew tree was discovered in 1558 in Brazil by the Portuguese, who appreciated its fruits. Then he was taken to the African continent, where it was remarkably well established. Currently, cashew tree is grown in more than 30 countries with a wet and warm climate, cashews around the world employ about 36 thousand square meters.

In Africa, cashew nuts are used as a means of applying tattoos to the skin, in Brazil they are recognized as an effective remedy for bronchitis, asthma, influenza, diabetes and indigestion. In Haiti, this wonderful nut is a reliable remedy for warts and toothache, in Panama - from hypertension, and in Venezuela - from a sore throat. In Mexico, with the help of cashew nuts, the freckles decolour, and in Peru they are used as an antiseptic.

Cashew nuts consist of two halves, also called "cashew apple". These nuts have incomparable taste, and are eaten raw and fried. The roasted cashew nuts acquire a soft, sweet taste, they are well combined with mineral water. Cashews are widely used in cooking, are part of various exotic salads, and are also an excellent self-help snack. The taste of baking, sauces, first and second dishes, seasoned with cashew nuts, becomes more saturated and bright.

Along with other nuts, such as peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts, cashews are a food product with high nutritional value. But unlike them, it contains much less fat.

What are the benefits of cashew nuts?

These nuts are rich in proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins A, E, B1, B2, contains also riboflavin, carotene, thiamine and nicotinic acid. In addition, cashews contain a lot of useful microelements, such as iron, phosphorus, zinc and calcium. Vitamins contained in nuts help to normalize the metabolism of proteins and fatty acids, strengthen the immune system, and also reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood and ensure the normalization of the activity of the cardiovascular system. The high content of vitamin E in them helps the body to fight free radicals, which is an important prevention of cancer.

Cashews are an excellent adjuvant for the treatment of metabolic disorders, psoriasis, anemia, dystrophy and relief of toothache. These nuts have antiseptic, antibacterial and tonic properties. In addition, cashew nuts are an excellent raw material for the production of high-quality oil, rich in vitamin E and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

The calorie content of cashew nuts per 100 grams of the product is 631 kcal. The same number of nuts contain: 5.3 g of water, 25 g of proteins, 54 g of fat, 13 g of carbohydrates, 7 g of mono- and disaccharides, 5 g of starch, 3 g of ash and other trace elements.

Helpful Hints:

- it is advisable to buy whole nuts, since they have a longer shelf life;

- it is better not to take the dried, wrinkled, darkened or moldy nuts;

- Keep the cashews in a refrigerator in a tightly closed container, because, due to the large fat content, stored in heat, they acquire a bitter taste.