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The document discusses the cashew nut and its origins. It summarizes that the cashew nut grows attached to the cashew apple fruit, and was introduced to Sri Lanka by the Portuguese in the 16th century. While the cashew apple is used in foods and drinks, the cashew nut itself became more popular and widely used in Sri Lanka, where it is processed by removing the shell through drying, roasting, or steaming methods. The cashew nut can be prepared and eaten in many different ways once processed.

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Michael Goonewardene
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59 views2 pages

Speech - Spoken English

The document discusses the cashew nut and its origins. It summarizes that the cashew nut grows attached to the cashew apple fruit, and was introduced to Sri Lanka by the Portuguese in the 16th century. While the cashew apple is used in foods and drinks, the cashew nut itself became more popular and widely used in Sri Lanka, where it is processed by removing the shell through drying, roasting, or steaming methods. The cashew nut can be prepared and eaten in many different ways once processed.

Uploaded by

Michael Goonewardene
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Sethini Goonewardene

EVERYONE’S NUTS OVER CASHEW NUTS.

Whilst the world’s certainly nutty over cashew, nature seems to have gone crazy
when it was created. For the nut is not inside the fruit but is found as an
appendage, giving it the impression that it was only added as an afterthought.
For it is not the fruit but the nut that reigns supreme in popularity in Sri Lanka.
The Portuguese were the first to discover cashew, growing in the deep jungles
of Brazil. They were soon to introduce the tree to the South Asian countries
where they, along with their colonization flag, planted it in the early 16 th
Century. The cashew tree is an evergreen tree and generally grows to an average
height of about 20 to 30 feet. This is commercially grown in areas such as
Puttalam, Moneragala, Bibile, Mahiyanganaya, Batticaloa Ampara, Mannar,
and other similar hot zones in the country.

At the epicenter of sight and taste is the cashew nut - called cadju in Lanka -
which seems to have wriggled out of the cashew fruit to advertise its singular
presence and importance to the world.
‘BUT BEWARE!’ The cashew is a hard nut to crack. The nut does not allow
easy entry to its inner sanctum.

 Not that the fruit has no appeal. Called the cashew apple or puhuluma, its full
pear figure turns reddish yellow when ripe and comes with a sweet strong smell
and a distinctive sweet though sharp and biting taste of its own. The soft
succulence of the pulp lends it easily to be squeezed and made into a lovely
refreshing fruit juice. Its juice can be fermented into vinegar and distilled to
make alcoholic drinks.

The puhuluma which is the cashew apple, can be cooked as a spicy curry and
also can be used to flavor beverages. In some countries, this is used to make
jams and even chutneys. It can also be prepared with sugar and water and made
into a paste to be eaten as a dessert. The cashew apple is also eaten raw as
achcharu with addition of salt to give a different flavor.
In Sri Lanka, The Fruit Never Caught On to The Same Degree That Its
Accompanying Kidney Shaped Add-On Nut Did; It Was the Nut That Held
Sway.

The process begins by either sun drying or roasting or steaming the cadju shells.
This is to evaporate the layer of urishiol and also make the hardness of the shell
Sethini Goonewardene
more malleable to be split open. Interestingly, cashew shells are burnt to
produce smoke that is a mosquito repellent.

In small scale cottage operations, this is generally done by hand but in cashew
processing plants the shell is cracked with the aid of hand operated splitting
tools. But since the cashew seed may still contain traces of urishiol, it is
subjected to further drying or put through a hot air chamber to restrict moisture.
Then it is peeled. Cracking and peeling is quite a labor since it is done one
cashew at a time.

Although you are a ‘Cashew Fan’ Be Aware! When you eat Kiri cadju or
Milk cashew, it may hurt your mouth! But don’t worry, rinse it with water and
you are ready to eat.

The nuts can be boiled with turmeric added. Or it can be roasted or fried with
chili powder added. Cashew can be caramelized or coated in jaggery or
chocolate. It can be used in cakes and in biriyani as well. Cashew can be diced
into minute pieces and sprinkled upon desserts. It can be made into a curry, as
Sri Lankans often do, for special occasions with turmeric giving the curry a
yellow hue.

Now The World’s Favorite Nut Is Ready To Be


Eaten. But In Which Way? Take Your Pick…
Roasted, Unroasted, Creamy Or Spicy, Curry
Or Dessert: The List Is Endless…

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