Cashew Apples

Everyone knows the excellent flavour of the cashew nut, but how many have tasted the juicy fruit of this plant, brought to Asia from tropical America by the Portuguese? In fact, the true fruit is what is known everywhere as he nut, and the "fruit" sold for eating is a swollen stem.
The cashew tree is widely known in tropical Asia for its medicinal properties. All parts of the tree contain a sap which is irritant, including the thin membrane between the actual nut and its hard casing. The cashew apple has a very thin skin-green when unripe and turning to yellow, pink, or more rarely, bright scarlet, when ripe.
Because of its fragility, it is not a widely available "commercial" fruit. It can, however, be found at fruit stalls near cashew-growing regions. The slightly elongated fruit is about 7 cm (2 12 inches) long, with an interior of white flesh. Eat the fruit only when fully ripe or it is unpleasantly astringent. The ripe fruit is sweet, crisp and juicy with a faint rose perfume.