It is consumed as dry fruit, fried and/or salted.
Many well-known products such as nougat and marzipan are made of almonds.

The almonds that we normally consume as dry fruit, fried and/or salted, are those of the sweet almond tree. They are used as an ingredient for confectionery produce such as nougat and marzipan, sugared almonds, pies, chocolate, ice creams and many dishes and sauces. The popular ‘garrapiñada” almond is covered with sugar, syrup or honey, and it is very tasty. Other products are also processed from the almond: flour, cream, horchata (tiger nut milk) and milk. Bitter almonds are not consumed as dry fruit, but from them we obtain oils or essences that are used as seasoning for many dishes.

The almond is a dry fruit that supplies 576 and 626kcal/100g and is a good source of phosphorus, calcium and other minerals which are important for health, like iron.

Almonds provide a great amount of energy, proteins, minerals, vitamins and fiber. In addition, most of the fats they contain are unsaturated and reduce the level of cholesterol in the blood.

Areca is used for treatment of a mental disorder called schizophrenia and an eye disorder called glaucoma; as a mild stimulant; and as a digestive aid.

Some people use areca as a recreational drug because it speeds up the central nervous system (CNS).

In veterinary medicine, an extract of areca is used for expelling tapeworms in cattle, dogs, and horses; to empty animals’ bowels; and for treating intestinal colic in horses.

Fresh cashew apples taste delicious, but only growers and people living near cashew orchards will ever get to enjoy this fruit, as it is highly perishable. Cashew apples begin to ferment immediately after harvesting, and stay fresh no longer than 24 hours. Highly prized in their growing locale, cashew apples can sometimes be found canned, in jams, or as the base of a liqueur. Commercial producers in Brazil and India package the juice for sale regionally. The cashew tree itself does not go to waste, as the wood is milled into lumber used to build shipping crates and boats.
Cashew Uses

You might see cashews labeled “raw” in the supermarket, but all cashews undergo some heat in the process to remove the shell and caustic substance. Cashews sold as “roasted” have been cooked twice—once during the shelling process and then roasted to deepen the color and enhance the flavor, sometimes with salt. You will also find dry-roasted, meaning the nuts were cooked without any added oil.

Because they are high in heart-healthy monounsaturated fatty acids, cashews make some superfoods lists for their concentration of protein, fiber, minerals, and antioxidants. Though technically a seed, the cashew generally gets the culinary treatment of a nut. You can buy them whole to eat as a snack out of hand or puréed into butter for use as a spread or smoothie ingredient. Owing to their creamy texture when blended, cashews have become a popular ingredient used to make dairy alternatives. This includes cashew milk, nut-based cheese, and nut-based cream sauces and sour cream.
How to Cook With Cashews

Pressed cashews yield a light- to dark-yellow oil better used as a salad dressing ingredient or finishing oil than a cooking oil. It also has cosmetic applications as a skin moisturizer and carrier oil for aromatherapy treatments.

Asian and Indian cuisines frequently include whole or chopped cashews as a stir-fry ingredient and in curries. Vegan cooks turn cashews into animal product-free milk, cream, mayonnaise, butter, and pesto.
What Does It Taste Like?

Cashews have a rich nutty flavor, similar to almonds or peanuts. When pureed, it may be hard to distinguish cashew butter from other nut butter like peanut or almond.

Chestnut trees are a variety of Beech tree, originally cultivated in Europe. Chestnut trees have been grown in Australia for over 100 years, the versatility of the nuts making them a popular addition to many recipes. They are suited to grow in a temperate climate and the nuts are widely available during the autumn and winter months.

Chestnuts consist of several layers. There is an outer prickly green burr which is usually removed before sale to reveal a tough, shiny brown shell. Within the shell surrounding the nut is another layer – a thin, inner cream-coloured skin called a pellicle. The pellicle and shell must both be removed before eating the creamy-white nut within, which has a texture similar to a baked potato once cooked.

You can also purchase sweetened and unsweetened chestnut puree, a velvety dark brown paste with a smooth and nutty taste.

Buying and storage

Look for raw chestnuts with undamaged, shiny dark skin that feel firm and heavy for their size. One kilogram of chestnuts will give you approximately 700g shelled nuts.

Chestnuts have a short shelf life. You can store whole chestnuts in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 to 2 weeks. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months. Defrosted chestnuts are not suitable for roasting, however they are fine for use in soups and purees. Chestnuts with mould between the outer shell and pellicle should be discarded.

Chestnut puree is sold in cans and is available from selected supermarkets and delis. It will keep, unopened, for up to 2 years. Once opened, store in the fridge and use within 4 days.

Preparation

Before cooking chestnuts they should be rinsed and dried, and a small slit or cross must be made in the skin or they will burst.

The bushy 60-cm (2-foot) plants bear feathery pinnately compound leaves. The small white or reddish flowers often have distinctive veins in blue or purple and are usually self-pollinated. The yellow-brown or dark green beans are borne one or two to a pod. There are large- and small-seeded varieties.

Macadamia are rich sources of mono-unsaturated fatty (MUF) like oleic acid (18:1) and palmitoleic acids (16:1). MUF fats in the diet help lower total and LDL (bad) cholesterol and increase HDL (good) cholesterol levels.

With their rich, buttery flavour and natural sweetness, they make a tasty and satisfying snack.

Raw pecans pack a 1-2-3 punch of proteins, healthy fats and fibers that can help keep you energized and satisfied. What’s more, they are even cholesterol-free, sodium-free and low in carbohydrates.

Pecan nuts are mainly used as appetizers and additions to salads, cakes, candies, and cookies or as emergency rations for persons expending great amounts of energy, rather than a basic diet.
Pecan kernels are nutritious and a good source of energy and vitamins. Defatted kernel powder is useful as a dietary supplement as it contains all the essential amino acids and significant amounts of minerals and natural antioxidants like phenolic acids and tocopherols. The oil is used in cooking and salads and has good keeping qualities. Pecan kernels are a good source of energy and provide about 2891 kJ 100 g−1.

The pistachio nut is a dry fruit of small size, lengthy, with a hard, thin and clear brown shell. The edible part is yellowish green and tender.

They are used in foodstuff products and also in cosmetics, for which there is a great demand.

The pistachio nut is a fruit of great category and is as much appreciated for its consumption in fresh as for the industry.

Pistachios are more and more consumed salted or roasted, and with shell as a snack. The seed in raw is used as an ingredient for many dishes, in confectionery and cooked pork meats or ice creams. A very sweet oil is also obtained from pistachios. They are even applied as an ingredient for some medicines with digestive action and in cosmetics.

It is a very nutritious dry fruit of great fat content, between 30.5 and 51,6g for 100g of edible fresh weight.

The pistachio, whose edible part is the seed or almond, covered by a hard, thin, clear brown shell named pericarp. It is obtained from the so called pistachio or mastic tree. The almond is elongated, slightly triangular, 2-3cm long, tender, oily and with a pale green or yellow colour.

The pistachio nuts with shell can be preserved frozen for several months, although they may loose aroma and if they are peeled, it is recommended to keep them in the fridge, although the time of preservation is smaller in this case.

There are some varieties or types of pistachio that are distinguished by the size and colour of the almond, having greater or smaller acceptance.

The tree of the pistachio does not bear fruit until the fifth year and it does not reach a good performance until the tenth. For this reason, in Spain this fruit is usually imported and the prices of the market are high. In the Mediterranean coast, they ripen in September but we can find them in the market all the year round.