Welcome to our series sharing Food Holidays: November 22nd, 2021. Did you know today is National Cashew Day which both Charlie and David love. If David is able to get to the grocery store this evening I’m going to ask him to pick up a can of Planters Deluxe Whole Cashews and Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce for me. Would you like to share either of these with us?
National Cashew Day– #NationalCashewDay
National Cashew Day is celebrated every year on November 23rd all around the United States. This Kidney-shaped Nut isn’t just loved in the United States, which is also popular around the globe. Cashews have innumerable uses — snack on them, cook with Cashews, and even get drunk off of Cashews! Cashews are indeed an elite Nut that deserve a day to celebrate them. National Cashew Day is that Holiday dedicated to enjoying the crunchy, savory, Nut in many ways.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL CASHEW DAY
The name ‘Cashew’ comes from the Portuguese for its fruit, ‘caju’ or ‘acaju,’ derived from the Tupian word ‘acajú,’ which means ‘Nut that produces itself.’ Cashews, unlike other Nuts, grow like tails out of the bottom of Cashew Apples. Their trees are generally huge, but Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, is home to the world’s largest Cashew Tree, which covers more than 81,000 square feet, almost 70 times the size of a regular one! The outer covering of the Cashew Nut contains an aAnticardia Acid that causes a Skin Irritation, which is why when Europeans first discovered Cashews in Brazil in 1558, they thought Cashews were inedible.
The Tupi-Indians, a local native tribe, showed the Portuguese the value of the actual Seed, which they had discovered while watching the local Capuchin Monkeys. They trained the Portuguese to roast the seeds to get the irritant off. Not only did they come to enjoy the taste of Cashews, they even made Wine out of its Fruit’s Pulp. The Portuguese were such fans of the Nut that their Missionaries brought Cashews to Goa, India, in 1560. The Indian climate proved the perfect fit to plant them. Cashews took the Country by storm. Indians even discovered healing properties within the Nut, adding to its popularity. Cashews spread rapidly through Southeast Asia and Africa and became essential parts of their food and commerce. It wasn’t until 1905 that Cashews reached the United States. Cashews initially saw a slow spread, only becoming popular around the mid-1920s when the General Food Corporation began regularly shipping Cashews to the U.S. and Europe. Once Americans got a taste of Cashews, the demand for Cashews spiked. By 1941, about 22,046.23 tons were imported from India annually.
Research has shown that these Nuts are effective Antidepressants. Rich in Minerals and Vitamins and a perfect ingredient for Soups, Stews, Desserts, especially in Latin American and Asian cuisine. Other parts of the main plant, including the Fruit, Oil, Pulp, and the Bark, are just as valuable.
Five facts to know about Cashews:
- Pistachio, Mango, Cashew and Poison Ivy are in the same family.
2. Cashews are Native to Costa Rica and most of Central America.
3. Cashews are seeds because they grow out of Apples, they are technically a seed not a nut.
3. Did you know raw Cashews are green. Before the seed is roasted, cashews are a beautiful shade of green.
4. A freshly picked Cashew Nut is highly flammable and can even be explosive.
NATIONAL CASHEW DAY ACTIVITIES
Eat Cashews
What better way to celebrate National Cashew Day than by eating Cashews? You can have Cashews Roasted, or prepared any way you want.
Cook with Cashews
From savory to sweet, fried to baked, there are thousands of Cashew recipes, and you can even add Cashews into other dishes.
Swap with Cashews
For your grocery run this week, swap out some of your staples to try Cashew-based recipes. Including Cashew Oil, Cashew Butter including Peanut Butter.
FACTS ABOUT CASHEWS
The United States is responsible for the consumption of more than 90% of Cashews produced globally!
Cashews are born green before their seed is roasted.
Fermented and distilled juice from Cashew Apples contains 40-42% Alcohol known as ‘feni.’
Traditional Mayan medicine makes Tea from the leaves or bark of Cashews and then they use it to treat Diarrhea.
Did you know Cashew Nuts are used to make industrial products like paint, brake liners, lubricants, waterproofing, and in World War II, they were used for arms production.
WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL CASHEW DAY
Cashews are packed with protein and Vitamins and Minerals including Calcium, Iron, Potassium, Zinc, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin E, and more.
Cashews are rich in Copper, which keeps the immune system healthy.
There are plenty of ways to use Cashews making Cashews versatile nuts that have several uses.
Cashews can be snacked on, cooked with, or used to make Butter or Cheese.
Cashews are delicious and are considered a premium quality snack.
Cashews are widely used in South and Southeast Asia and are an essential part of the Cuisine in the South of India.
Did you know a barrel of Cranberries weighs 100 pounds. Give or take a few, there are about 450 Cranberries in a pound and 4,400 Cranberries in one gallon of juice.
Contrary to popular belief, Cranberries do not grow in Water. A perennial plant, Cranberries grow on low-running vines in Sandy Bogs or Marshes.
If you strung all the Cranberries produced in North America last year, they would stretch from Boston to Los Angeles more than 565 times.
Legend has it that Pilgrims served Cranberries, along with wild Turkey and Duccotash, at the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
In the 1880s, a New Jersey grower named John “Peg Leg” Webb discovered that Cranberries bounce.
National Cranberry Relish Day is celebrated as the perfect precursor for Thanksgiving on November 22nd. Born out of love for one of three surviving Native American fruits, the day honors the quintessential American pairing of Cranberry and Thanksgiving. We cannot imagine a Thanksgiving meal without Traditional Cranberry Sauce. Cranberry Relish is prepared with some surprise ingredients including Horseradish and Onion. Nothing cuts through the tart of these red rubies like the zing of an Onion. Talking about the Holiday Season, let’s include National Cranberry Relish Day on the list of things we are thankful for.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL CRANBERRY RELISH DAY
Originating in the streets of New England, Cranberry Relish has been a Seasonal delicacy since the 20th Century, but it wasn’t until the 1950s that the dish gained national prominence. “The Splendid Table,” a nationally syndicated radio show programmed by the American Public Media, is the reason many in the country have come to know and love Cranberry Relish. The show’s original host, Lynne Rossetto Kasper, would bring in guests from around the country to share unique perspectives and delicious recipes with the audience.
One fall morning, Kasper invited NPR special correspondent Susan Stamberg to share her thoughts on Holiday dishes in a quest to “make something tasty out of the ordinary.” In a back and forth about Thanksgiving side dishes, Stamberg shared her mother-in-law’s Cranberry Relish recipe. “Add a dollop of Sour Cream, and make sure you chop them Radishes extra-fine,” she said, and the rest is history. That was the day the Cranberry-loving community added another great recipe to their staples. The U.S. got the National Cranberry Relish Day. On further digging, we found that Craig Claiborne dish inspired the recipe Stamberg shared. Visit any household in the U.S., utter the words ‘Mama Stamberg’s Relish,’ and get ready to be served with the tangy scoop of Cranberry Relish.
A day that brings forth the relish of Cranberries must be celebrated. If you are daydreaming about this red fruit and the meaty bite of Turkey that follows, you should be read for November 22nd.
NATIONAL CRANBERRY RELISH DAY ACTIVITIES
Although the original recipe calls for the addition of Horseradish and Onions, we have to admit this isn’t a match for everyone’s taste. No worries, though! You can replace those ingredients with Orange Slices, and this simple switch keeps up with the zest and adds another layer of flavor.
November is a great month for Harvest, as top-tier fruits like Apples, Bananas, Kiwi, and Grapes become primed for picking. National Cranberry Relish Day, visit a nearby Orchard with your friends and family.
There is a lot that goes into a simple batch of Cranberry Sauce. From cleaning the Berries to sorting out the toppings and picking the perfect Wine, it sounds like a fun family activity.
5 FACTS ABOUT CRANBERRY
- Cranberries are Native to America and have been in cultivation since the 1550s.
- Did you know Cranberry’ comes from the German word ‘Kraanbere,’ which translates to ‘Craneberry.’
- Unlike every other Berry, Cranberries are so low in Sugar that sweeteners are added to the juice to make Cranberries appetizing.
- Cranberries are 90% water, eat a bunch and meet your water goals for the day.
- Native Americans have been using Cranberries for medicinal purposes way before modern Science pointed out their inherent health benefits.
WHY WE LOVE NATIONAL CRANBERRY RELISH DAY
- From the Narragansett people of the Algonquian Nation in the 1550s all the way to present-day New England, Cranberry has come a long way and is one of the only three surviving Native American fruits.
- Think of Thanksgiving, and you will see the bright red tart goodness sitting next to the Turkey. A fruit that can make an impact on a day when you get away with drinking at 4 P.M. deserves recognition.
- Cranberry Relish is incredibly delicious and really nutritious. It’s a combination of Cranberries, Onions, and Horseradish packs Vitamins, Antioxidants, and more.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
