Viral: Watch how cashews are harvested and packed to be sold in the market

Cashews are one of the most popular nuts due to their versatile taste. On account of the amount of nutrition this dry fruit contains, cashews are often referred to as ‘nature's vitamin pill’. This dry fruit is even more versatile than one can even imagine as it can be used in several culinary preparations. They are available throughout the year and have a very good shelf life. Many people don't know that cashews grow on trees and look like big juicy apples hanging upside down. But, have you ever wondered how these nuts come from the tree to the market? (Images courtesy: iStock)

Recently, there is a video that’s going viral on the social media where one can see the whole process of cashews being refined in a cashew processing plant in Assam. The video clearly shows the entire process of extracting the nuts from the fruit and has more than 2 million likes with more than 50 million views. The video was posted by Saloni Bothra, a food blogger whose Instagram handle is @_heresmyfood.

As per the viral video, first of all, the harvested cashew fruit is dried in the sun for two to three days. The fruits are shuffled constantly so that they harden and dry uniformly. This process removes excess moisture. The cashew nut is then roasted and the outer shell of the fruit is cut open to extract the nut inside. It is at this point that the quality of these nuts is checked. The good quality nuts are seperated from the rest manually.

The peeling process involves removing the sticky testa (outer skin) from the nuts, after which they are passed through a compressed airway. This is then followed by the final stage, in which the women sit to separate the impure elements from the cashews. The cashews are then roasted in an oven at 70 degrees Celsius and voila the cashews are done. But, wait the process is yet not complete. After the roasting process, these cashews are then checked once again and then packed for eating.

This processing of cashews does explain why it is so overpriced. So, the next time you buy a packet of cashews, do remember the hard work that goes behind it.