Everyone knows savory and nutritious cashew nuts. And what exactly is their utility? How to choose them and keep the freshest? And what is this, after all, such a nut - cashew?.

Cashew, it is also called the Indian nut - belongs to the genus of woody plants of the family of sumas. This tropical evergreen tree with a thick sprawling crown, occasionally reaching a height of more than 10 meters. In spring, in many branches, yellow-pink flowers bloom, and in three months there are fruits, according to the Internet edition for girls and women from 14 to 35 years old Pannochka. Net The fruit of the cashew is a juicy fruit stem (apple cashew) with a sweet and sour taste and a smell, reddish or yellow in color, resembling a pear. At the top of the peduncle is a small nut in a hard shell - a cashew nut, the utility and harm of which are mixed in an unusual way due to the rich chemical composition. From apples of cashew do juices, prepare desserts, cook jam. Unfortunately, the freshest peduncles refer to perishable products and are not applicable to transportation. But nuts can be stored for a long time and exported around the world.

Little history Brazil is considered the birthplace of cashews. The utility and harm of this plant were well known to the local Ticuna Indians, who called it acaju, which means "yellow fruit". In use were not only the fruit of the tree, and bark with leaves. In addition to cooking cashews were also used in everyday life and medicine. In the XVI century. This exotic nut was found by the Portuguese, when they intensively mastered new areas of America, and brought a find to Europe. Later he became known to the whole world. Now cashews are grown in more than 30 countries, and the largest exporters are Vietnam and India, much ahead of Brazil in terms of supplies.

Nutritive value of cashews Many people ask: cashews - utility and harm, but what is more? Like all other nuts, cashew is a very nutritious product. The highest content of proteins, fats and carbohydrates allows you to quickly replenish energy, when before dinner is still far away. Cashew is also rich in vitamins and minerals - just one handful of nuts can provide a daily rate of many essential substances. First, they are vitamins of group B, vitamins E and K. Well, the mineral composition is actually the same as the Ministry of Health advises: from calcium and iron to selenium and zinc.

For whom will the utility of cashew nuts be high? For those who wish to strengthen immunity, go in for sports or do hard physical work, eat irregularly, experience constant stresses. Who has hypertension, sweet diabetes, endocrine system diseases, asthma, anemia, psoriasis. Constant use of cashews will help restore metabolism, reduce the amount of harmful cholesterol in the blood, strengthen the cardiovascular system, prevent osteochondrosis.

But in the quest for a healthy diet should not be very addicted to cashew nuts. The utility and harm in them are in the same measure, therefore to use them better within reasonable limits - less than 30 g per day. A huge amount of fat in the nuts can badly affect the work of the liver. Some people cause allergies. It is necessary to limit their consumption to those who seek to reduce body weight, but a small number of nuts per day will be beneficial, as being in their polyunsaturated fatty acids help maintain a suitable weight.

Cashews in cooking Conventional fried with salt or sweetened with cashew nuts is not all that cooking offers. Their gentle creamy taste is perfectly mixed with fruits and vegetables, with meat and various cereals. Cashews are added to cakes and pastries, ice cream and breakfast cereals, salads, 1st and 2nd courses, sauces and drinks. Supporters of segregated food can safely use cashews with both protein food and carbohydrate, as the nuts are neutral products. How to choose cashews and where to store them? To ensure that the cashews do not turn into harm, it is necessary to choose only the freshest healthy nuts. Usually, they are whole, with a flat surface and a light cream color. Excellent, when you can test the nuts when buying: they do not have to have odors and smacks.

Broken nuts indicate incorrect transportation and lose their nutritional value faster. Shriveled, cracked, dark, with yellow color - they say about the expired shelf life and they will definitely disappoint with their taste. Moldy nuts are not even worth trying: under the influence of the fungus, they form aflatoxins that cause severe diseases.

Keep the cashew in a cool place in a closed container - so they will be fresh for about a month. In the refrigerator they will last six months, and in the freezer - a year.

Health. Sumy. Ua.