Ever wondered where cashews really come from? Spoiler alert: they’re not nuts!
Cashews actually start as fruits from a large evergreen tree that thrives in the tropics. The tree produces vibrant red flowers that give way to juicy, apple-like structures—but these aren’t the real fruit.
People losing it after discovering how cashews actually grow.
Jackson Jansen was shocked when he discovered the popular “nut” is actually a seed that grows on the outside of a specific apple variety.
TikTok/@thejacksonjansen
After stumbling across this tidbit, Jansen shared a video detailing his surprise, along with images of the common snack item growing on the outside of multiple cashew apples.
“What the f*ck is that? You’re telling me this grows on a tree, pushes out this nut, and it makes cashews?” Jansen exclaimed.
“This is not real … I feel like I’ve been lied to my whole life.”
TikTok/@thejacksonjansen
His TikTok video quickly went viral, with many viewers admitting they were “freaking out” over the revelation.
“I don’t know where I thought cashews came from, but it’s not that,” one person declared.
“I can’t believe I made it to 23 without knowing this,” another confessed.
One person jokingly commented: “I refuse to believe this. Cashews grow in the supermarket to me.”
However, many were equally stunned that people didn’t already know this “earth-shattering” truth about cashews, expressing their disbelief.
“I think it’s so crazy bizarre that people don’t know all this,” one person scoffed.
“I’m actually shocked people don’t know this,” another agreed.
Cashew nuts are cased in a shell which contains a toxic oil that is harmful to humans.
As a result, the healthy snack is roasted at high heat—either by steaming them in a large rotating drum or boiling them in oil—to remove urushiol remnants before they can be shelled, thoroughly dried, and peeled, according to Healthline.
These are the so-called “raw” cashews many of us purchase from grocery stores, labeled as such because they’re free of added flavorings.
“Now you know why they’re so expensive,” one person noted.
“Look at how they shuck them, and you’ll see why they are so expensive,” another added.
The fact cashew nuts are technically a seed, therefore not a true nut, also didn’t go amiss – reigniting a longstanding debate about whether it is a fruit or nut among social media users.
“So, it’s a fruit then?” one person questioned.
Another asked: “Why is it called a nut when it’s a seed? I’m so confused.”
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time the internet has gone wild over this fact about cashews. In 2019, a photo of the fruit, complete with a protruding cashew hanging from a tree, went viral.
“I was today years old when I learned that this is how cashews grow,” read a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The post gained almost 16,000 shares and amassed a staggering 77,500 likes, with many declaring it “mind-blowing.”
So, the next time you pop a cashew, remember the wild journey it took to get to your table!
Source: nypost.com
