cashew apple

cashew apple (plural cashew apples)

1. An ovoid to pear-shaped accessory fruit or false fruit that develops from the receptacle of the cashew flower (the true fruit being the cashew nut).

   Coordinate term: cashew nut

   • 1995, “Appendix III: Cashew Apple Preparations”, in Regional Meeting on Cashew Research and Development, page 44:

     The cashew apple is really the swollen flower stalk to which the nut is attached. […] Generally, not more than two or three cashew apples are eaten at a time because the apple is fibrous and has an astringent and acrid taste due to the presence of tannins and substances of a phenolic nature which will irritate the throat. That is why the bulk of cashew apples in this country is wasted.

   • 2000, L. R. Verma, V. K. Joshi (editors), Postharvest Technology of Fruits and Vegetables, Volume 1: General Concepts and Principles, page 1091,

     In Brazil, cashew apple wine is prepared and marketed on a commercial scale, but its sale is declining. Another fascinating product is bottled cashew-apple-in-sugarcane brandy.

   • 2008, Anacardiaceae, entry in Jules Janick, Robert E. Paull (editors), The Encyclopedia of Fruit & Nuts, page 9,

     In Brazil, the cashew apple is sold fresh and the juice is widely available. […] In 16th-century Brazil, cashew apples and their juice were taken by Europeans to treat fever, to sweeten breath and to 'conserve the stomach'.