[Mental Floss]10 Nuts That Aren't Actually Nuts 1. Peanuts 2. Almonds 3. Cashews 4. Walnuts 5. Pine Nuts 6. Brazil Nuts 7. Macadamia 8. Pistachios 9. Pecans 10 Coconuts Basically, chestnuts and hazelnuts are real nuts. Not many other commonly eaten nuts are "actual nuts". The link provides a definition of the criteria for an actual nut.
I bought some of those from Sam's a few weeks ago. They're alright, but I'm pissed that they've been taking brazil nuts out of these "mixed nuts" and replacing them with pistachios. Apparently there was a Brazil shortage or supply chain issue or aliens preventing their continued inclusion into "mixed nuts". I usually get the 56oz Planter's mixed nuts from Amazon (although I HATE buying food on Amazon). When the price dips, they're only around $13-$15, I think,and cheaper than Sam's (although they're salted). I also buy the Member's Mark 3 lbs. pistachio bags from Sam's. My favorite nuts are probably cashews, though.
Almonds are closely related to apricots and peaches and are the seed in the pit at the center of a fruit. The fruit is edible but bitter. Cashews grow in a leathery pod at the end of a fruit that looks sort of like a purple pear. The fruit is pretty sweet and in Asia there are candies and sodas made with it. Cacao where chocolate comes from is a pod that looks like a squash with the seeds inside being what they make the chocolate from. I’ve tried both the pod and the unprocessed seeds and they are very bitter.
A thought I had years ago while stoned "nuts are like eating wood, but tastes good". @MRS_KILLATRON2000 did I ever tell you that?
My grandparents grew both cashews and cacao on their land. I don't remember ever trying the cacao, tbh, but the cashews were awesome freshly-picked and roasted. I think cacao is supposed to taste like that until you process it with some alkaline solution and add sugar, milk, etc.
Yeah I always wondered how the ancient Meso Americans figured out how to eat Cacoa because I found it awful tasting and when you see it from the pod it looks nothing like what we think of as chocolate.
The edible part is the white flesh that adheres to the outsides of the seeds. Emmy describes the flavor in the video as "tangy and sour, like Passion fruit, but less floral". History of chocolate by The History Guy, including a bit about the original Olmec use. They never added sugar to their chocolate. The drink they made was unsweetened chocolate and chili peppers. That was how it was first used in Europe as well. If anybody wants a pod, Google "Miami Fruit Company". I'm sure there are other places, but that's the one in familiar with
