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Cashew kernels

Anacardium occidentale

Botany and history
The cashew tree, which can grow up to 10 meters high, originated in north-eastern Brazil and was brought to other tropical regions such as Angola, Mozambique and India by Portuguese sailors in the 16th century.
The cashew tree bears fruit for the first time after 3 years and has an average annual yield of 12 - 15 kg. The cashew fruit consists of the cashew apple, which is yellow, orange or red in color when ripe, and the kidney-shaped cashew nut hanging below, which is not actually a nut but a single-seeded drupe. 
The cashew nuts reach maturity about 14 days before the cashew apple and then fall to the ground. The remaining cashew apple is highly perishable and is processed into vitamin C-rich juice, jam and spicy sauces immediately after harvesting.
 

Main cultivation countries
The largest producer of cashew nuts by far is the Ivory Coast with around 1.2 million tons, followed by India and Cambodia with around 700,000 tons each. More than half of the world's harvest comes from West Africa. 
Although the West African Ivory Coast is the world's largest producer of cashew nuts, only a small proportion of the raw material is processed locally. For economic reasons, around 85 to 90 percent of cashews are sent to Vietnam and India for further processing before being shipped to Europe. 
Due to its high standards of ethically correct and environmentally conscious action, Keyaniyan sources its cashews directly from certified suppliers in the Ivory Coast who process their products locally.
 

Processing and use
The process for obtaining cashew nuts is complex: To soften the hard shell, they are first heated and then dried after cracking. In the next stage of the process, the thin seed coat is partially removed by machine or completely by hand and the kernels are divided into different qualities. An important quality criterion here is the color, which can vary from white to ivory to light brown tones. The lighter the color, the higher the quality. 
Cashews can be used in a variety of ways: the whole kernels are mainly used in the confectionery and snack sector in natural, salted or coated form, while the broken kernels are used for chocolate, gingerbread, muesli and as toppings on cookies and pralines, among other things. 
With their high protein content, cashews are also an excellent choice for vegetarians and vegans looking for a natural and nutritious source of protein and as a milk alternative, e.g. in the form of cashew cheese, butter and cream. 

Keyaniyan Banner cashews

Origin
Ivory Coast

Harvest time
February – April

Quality
Whole
WW 180, 210, 240, 320, 450

Diced
large white pieces (LWP), small white pieces (SWP)

Further qualities on request

All products are also available from certified organic cultivation.

 

For product specifications, please contact:
Dirk Elsmann (d.elsmann@keyaniyan.de)
Katrin Ohlhoff (k.ohlhoff@keyaniyan.de)

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Keyaniyan Produkte Cashews