Vietnamese cashews: how are they used and processed on the world's dining tables?
Cashews are not only a nutritious food but also a golden ingredient in cuisine and export, contributing to bringing Vietnamese agricultural products to the world.
Cashews have long been famous not only for their rich, fragrant, crispy taste but also for their versatility in application - from family dishes, high-end restaurants to deep processing and export. This type of nut contains a lot of protein, vitamin B1, magnesium, iron, antioxidants.
Not only delicious, cashews also help lower cholesterol, good for the heart, blood pressure and immune system. This is the reason why more and more markets consider cashews as a superfood, comparable to almonds or walnuts. Let's learn about the uses of this nut, behind which is a billion-dollar industry, contributing to shaping the position of Vietnamese agricultural products on the world map.
Dried cashews (salted roasted cashews) - a popular form of consumption worldwide
(Dried cashews account for the largest proportion of consumption. Illustrative photo)
In the international market, dried cashew products account for the largest proportion of consumption. In China - a rapidly growing market, cashews are often marinated with chili, roasted crispy, vacuum-packed, and sold in high-end retail chains. In the US and Europe, salted, butter-roasted or honey-roasted cashews are popular snacks among office workers and middle-class families.
In particular, W180 and W210 cashews - large, even, and less broken - are often chosen to serve the high-end segment.
Cashew powder - a flexible raw material in processing
Not only using whole nuts, broken cashews, excess nuts or those that do not meet the standard form will be ground into cashew powder - an ingredient for biscuits, ice cream, sauces, vegetarian food lines, and even seasoning powder in the industrial food industry.
In Korea and Japan, cashew powder is used to make vegetarian snacks for dieters, both retaining the characteristic fatty flavor and meeting the needs of "clean - healthy - low fat".
Cashew in Middle Eastern, Indian and Southeast Asian cuisine
(Cashew is processed into a variety of delicious dishes in many cuisines of different countries. Illustrative photo)
In the Middle East, cashews are often stir-fried with basmati rice, mixed into curries, or roasted and sprinkled on soups. In Indian cuisine, cashew curry is a traditional vegetarian dish using cashews as the main ingredient. In Thailand and Malaysia, cashew chicken stir-fried with cashews, cashew noodles stir-fried with cashews, or cashew salad are popular dishes from the popular to the high-end.
In Vietnam, many restaurants have begun to exploit dishes with cashew nuts such as pan-fried salmon with cashew butter sauce, roasted green mango and cashew salad, oatmeal porridge with cashew milk, or cashew longan sweet soup - combinations that are both unique and enhance the value of domestic cuisine.
Cashew oil - high-quality vegetable fat
(Oil extracted from cashew nuts)
Cashew oil is extracted from cashew nuts - not to be confused with cashew shell oil (CNSL) which is used in industry. Cashew oil for food contains many unsaturated fatty acids, omega-9, vitamin E and phytosterols. This type of oil has a light color, mild aroma, and is used in the processing of ice cream, vegan butter, salad dressing, high-end cakes or as a base oil in organic food lines.
According to Statista's forecast, by 2026, the cashew market could account for up to 29% of the global market share of dried nuts - a sign that Vietnam has every chance of maintaining its leading position if it continues to promote product diversification, develop deep processing, and even build a national culinary brand associated with cashews.
In addition, the trend of using organic cashews in Vietnam is becoming increasingly evident and attracting great attention from both domestic and international markets. This increase comes from many factors such as increasing awareness of health, strict requirements on food safety standards, as well as the desire to contribute to environmental protection and promote sustainable development.
Source: Fomexco JSC