Once harvested, cashew nuts are sent for processing, which takes place in factories and in workers' homes. Shelling walnuts is labor intensive and is usually done by hand. If you buy roasted or raw cashew nuts, and they're not labeled fair trade, it may mean that they were processed using very unsafe methods. Workers may not have access to gloves and other protective equipment.
This means that your hands and arms can get burned or irritated by drupe oils. In fact, one of these oils is what makes poison ivy so irritating to the skin, which is why workers' hands can be scared and permanently injured by repeated exposure. It is also possible that workers are paid very little for their work. Never break an unprocessed nut.
To process nuts, grill them OUTSIDE (never inside, where vapors can build up and be inhaled). Place the nuts in an old or disposable pan (now the tray designated for cashew nuts, as it may never be completely cleaned of dangerous cashew oils). The process of peeling cashew nuts involves several steps to ensure that the nuts are completely free from the head without breaking the cashew nuts. The East Bali Cashew Company was created because farmers in Bali grew cashew nuts, but most of them were exported abroad for processing.
It could be used in pastry and bakery products, for example, finely chopped kernels are used in the production of candies, ice cream, cakes and chocolates, both at home and in industry, and as a spread paste on cashew bread. The roasted raw cashew nuts are then transferred to the husking department as the next step in cashew processing. The term “bloodthirsty cashew nuts” has been coined, and it's understandable that some consumers are concerned about the ethics of cashew nuts. Cashew is a tropical shrub found in countries such as India, Brazil, Vietnam, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Benin, Ghana and more tropical countries of this type.
The origin or source of the cashew also plays a role in cashew processing, as the sizes of raw nuts may vary from region to region. Once the outer shell has been removed and the cashews have been cleaned, they are placed in an oven and heated to 60 degrees for 24 hours. Cashew nuts from most stores that are sold as “raw” have probably been heated above the temperature of 38 degrees that many raw food lovers avoid. These so-called raw cashew nuts are still a different product than roasted nuts, as roasted nuts are heated to much higher temperatures.
To understand how the ivory cashew nut you like the most is obtained, it is important to know how the cashew nut is processed: where it comes from and what goes through to reach its edible state. Cashew nuts of Indian origin are sought after all over the world because of their slightly sweet, buttery and creamy flavor and texture. Instead, it is found in the drupe, a small hard kidney-shaped shell that grows under the cashew tree. Before packing and storing classified cashew nuts, they undergo several stages of disposal to ensure that there is no risk of microbial infestations.