The cashew fruit consists of two very distinct parts: a fleshy stalk similar to an apple or a pear; and a kidney shaped nut which shell has a grey brownish colour. The stalk is also known as the cashew apple and has shiny red or yellow skin, and a size ranging from 5 to 10 cm. What makes the cashew a very peculiar fruit is the fact that the nut hangs from the lower end of the cashew apple. After the cashew flower blooms, the nut forms; then later on, the apple grows between the nut shell and the stem. There is just one kernelin each Cashew fruit, hence their relatively high price. During harvest, the nuts are manually collected by hand

from the ground and the apples still on trees are hand-picked. Great care is needed in the post-harvest period until the cashews are processed (i.e. shelled, roasted).
Although the apple is used for the production of juices and alcoholic beverages in the countries of origin, the main commercial product is the cashew nut itself. Shelled cashew nuts raw or roasted and salted are a very popular snack worldwide. They are also a very common ingredient in Asian cuisine and have several applications in the confectionery industry.