From Top 10 toxic foods we love to eat
Here are two:
Cashews
Though really seeds and not nuts, cashews grow inside of a shell-like structure that grows on a fruit. When buying “raw cashews” in the store, take note that these nuts have actually been steamed and are not entirely raw. This is because raw cashews contain urushiol, which is the same chemical that you’d find in poison ivy. It can cause the body to have a very similar reaction to one experienced from poison oak or ivy. If a high level of urushiol is ingested, it can be deadly. Cashew poisoning is rare, but those who handle them in order to manufacture them to get the shell off sometimes experience the side-effects.
Interesting fact: Cashews come from a fruit, which in South American countries, is eaten, and the seeds (cashews) are then thrown away.
Tomato
Despite the extreme popularity of tomatoes and many countries, it is true that they are poisonous. Though the fruit itself doesn’t contain poison, the stem as well as the leaves contain a chemical known as glycoalkaloid. Higher levels are said to be found in wild tomatoes, but those grown domestically still contain glycoalkaloid. This chemical is known to cause upset stomachs and nervousness. The leaves and stem can be used in cooking for flavor, but must be removed before eating. This chemical is so powerful that it is actually used as a way to control pests.
Interesting fact: In 1893, in the U.S. Supreme Court case Nix v. Hedden, it was argued whether or not a tomato was a vegetable or a fruit, which dealt with taxes being paid on vegetbles and not fruits. In the end, the court ruled that a tomato is a vegetable when referring to the Tariff Act, but is botanically a fruit.
Lol, I eat my home grown almonds raw and straight from the tree.
from where I was born and raised in africa cashew trees are all over the place, we eat the fruit, bake the seed and sell them to whites who are very fond of those
Here in Brasil we drink lots of the fruit’s (Caiju) juice and eat the cashews at soccer games!
I believe it’s the chemical in the cashew seed’s shell that is harmful. There might be some residual on the seed and that’s probably why they steam it.
the posting only applies to cashews, not almonds. Almonds are easier to process and are not poisonous. If you read more thoroughly, you would have realized this and not written a stupid comment.
In Thailand, they eat the fruits (like mountain apples) with the cashews in a salad. Cashews are so expensive due to their processing and how lengthy and complex it is to remove the actual seed from the shell.