Tag Archives: cashews

Cashew folktale

Yesterday we received an anonymous comment on our cashew story with a Sri Lankan folktale about the cashew. If this is your comment, thanks for sharing your story– Let us know who you are and we’ll give you credit!

Here is the story:

My mother told me a story (From Sri Lanka) about why the Cashew fruit has its seed on the outside.

Apparently, as God was creating the world he was approached by the Devil, who was upset that he had not been allowed to make something. So, in an act of kindness, God asked the Devil to make a fruit.

The Devil went to work and formed what we now know as the Cashew fruit. He took it to God and said, “See? I can make something just as good as your creations.”

On looking it over, God asked, “But where is the seed?”

The Devil, realising his mistake, just muttered, “Oh, I’ll stick it here.” And with that, placed the seed on the bottom of the fruit.

And there you have it.

[Related: Cashews: the nut you can’t buy in a shell]

Cashews: the nut you can’t buy in a shell


Ever since we discovered them, we have been enjoying (and eating far too many of) the highly addictive Thai Lime & Chili Cashews from Trader Joe’s. These things should carry a warning label: “CAUTION: MAY BE HABIT FORMING.”

Anyway, while we eating them, we were asked if we knew why you can’t get cashews in the shell. We had no idea. Actually, we’d never thought about it. But, come to think of it, you can get almonds, walnuts, pistachios, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, peanuts, chestnuts, pine nuts, pecans, and even macadamia nuts in a shell, but not cashews.

Why? It turns out that the cashew shell is toxic. However, that raised the question of what a cashew looks like in its shell. Again, we had no idea. When we found out, we knew more people should see it. Weird looking, isn’t it? And caustic, too!
Continue reading Cashews: the nut you can’t buy in a shell