Cashew nuts?

Hello dear readers! Welcome back to the New World Order. First of all, I hope that you all are keeping well and second of all I would like to wish one of our followers a very happy birthday. So here’s wishing my father, the best dad in the world, Kapil Vig a very happy birthday. Now today’s topic is cashew nuts and how they are made. Now you all must be wondering why cashew nuts and what is so special, but my dear friends after you read this blog you might have a different perspective of even the smallest things in life.

The cashew nut was first discovered by Europeans in Brazil around 1558. Because of the irritating shells, they were thought to be inedible at first. Over time it was realized that it was the fruit skin and not the seeds that were irritating. It was the local native tribe, the Tupi-Indians, that showed the Europeans otherwise. The Portuguese were given instructions on how to roast the cashews to get the irritant off. The most difficult step in how cashew nuts are processed is extracting the kidney-bean-shaped nut from its shell, which is labour intensive and requires a skilled workforce – 90% of whom are women and paid negligible wages. When cracked open, the shell oozes a highly corrosive oil referred to as CNSL or ‘cashew nut shell liquid’. This oil, when in contact with skin, causes burns and sores which often present health risks for workers. I am very sure that you all did not know this and are very shocked right now…Well so was I, but I do realize that behind the smallest things in life, take a cashew nut for instance has a lot of hardwork behind it. Anyways, now you’re probably thinking, ‘haven’t they got machines to do this?’, and you’d be right. Machines have existed to shell cashews since the 1960s, but mechanical shelling comes with its own drawbacks. 

The Final Product

The thing is that these small things which we take for granted in life all have been made with a lot of perseverance and hardwork. And, that is why we need to respect even the smallest things which come to us with ease. I here’s a big shout out to my very own, dear bade papa who suggested me to research and write about this, it surely was a great learning for me. So my dear readers, please do come up with some suggestions about what you want to read about. As an every time ritual I will be ending with something to ponder upon- “Many small people, do many great things that may come to us with ease. Respect it, and respect those who give you this ease.”

Till our next blog folks…Stay Home Stay Safe!

-Jiya and Team