What Is a Cashew Apple? Taste, Uses and Why You Rarely See It

The cashew apple is the juicy, pear-sized fruit that the cashew nut hangs from. It is sweet but sharp, a little astringent, and so fragile that it has to be used quickly after picking, which is why you almost never see it in shops. It is eaten fresh, pressed into juice, or made into jam, syrup and preserves in the countries where cashews grow. The cashew nut we all know is the part that travels and keeps, so that is the part that is sold.

Most nuts grow inside a fruit or a pod. The cashew does the opposite. The nut hangs from the bottom of a fleshy, colourful fruit, with its kidney-shaped shell on the outside, as if it had been hung on as an afterthought. That fruit is called the cashew apple, and in many cashew-growing countries it's as well known as the nut itself.

Our guide to how a cashew is grown and processed follows the nut from flower to pouch. This post is about the other half of the story: the fruit it grows on.

Strictly speaking, the cashew apple is an accessory fruit. It's the swollen stalk that holds the flower, and it grows fatter and juicier as the real fruit, the grey-green shell with the nut inside, develops at its tip. So the 'apple' is a side effect of the flower's stalk, and the true fruit is the small, hard, curved shell.

A ripe cashew apple is about the size of a small pear, smooth and glossy, and can be yellow, orange, red or pink depending on the variety. It's very juicy, with a sweet but sharp, slightly astringent taste that can leave a dry feeling in the mouth. It also bruises easily, so it doesn't travel well, which is one reason you rarely see it outside the places where cashews grow.

In growing regions the fruit is eaten fresh, pressed into juice, or fermented into drinks. It's also made into jelly, syrup, preserves and candied sweets. The Global Cashew Council notes that the fruit contains vitamin C, antioxidants, minerals and natural sugars. In Central America it's known as the marañón.

Many farmers treat the apple as a by-product, because the nut is the valuable part and the fruit is fragile and has to be used quickly, so a lot of it goes unused. Making use of it is something the industry has been working on for years.

Once the nut is picked, it's twisted off the apple and the two go separate ways. The apple is used or sold quickly. The nut is dried in the sun, stored, and later heated, shelled and peeled. The shell holds a caustic oil that irritates skin, so the nut is never eaten straight from it. We explain more about this in our post on raw vs roasted cashews.

Can you eat a cashew apple? Yes. In growing regions the fruit is eaten fresh, pressed into juice or made into preserves. It is juicy, sweet and sharp, and its astringency can leave a dry feeling in the mouth.

Does it taste like an apple? Not really. The name comes from its shape and colour, but the flesh is softer and juicier than an apple, with a tangy, slightly sour edge. It has more in common with a ripe tropical fruit than with an orchard apple.

Is the cashew nut the seed of the apple? Yes, in effect. The nut is the true fruit, with a single seed inside, and the apple is the swollen stalk that holds it. That is why each cashew apple carries only one nut.

Why can't I buy cashew apples in the shop? They bruise easily and do not keep, so they rarely travel beyond the places where they grow. Most of the harvest is used locally, and a lot of it goes unused, because the nut is the valuable part.

Where does the cashew apple grow? On the cashew tree, in warm tropical countries, including Sri Lanka's dry zone around Puttalam. Our post on what environment cashew trees grow in explains why the tree thrives there.

Where can I buy the cashews themselves? Our roasted cashews are made from the nuts of those trees, roasted to order and delivered across Sri Lanka in 5 to 7 business days.

The kernels in our roasted cashews come from cashew trees in Sri Lanka's Puttalam region. We roast them to order in small batches, from Oven Roasted to bold flavours like Deviled Cashew. Next time you eat one, you'll know it started life hanging beneath a bright, juicy fruit.