The fruit of the cashew (Anacardium occidentale) showing the nut and the false fruit. The curved portion is the fruit (drupe) of the tree which contains the seed, the cashew nut, which people eat. The large red structure is an accessory fruit, also known as a false fruit, and referred to as the cashew apple. The cashew apple is sometimes eaten or used to make jams and other foods. The edible cashew nut is surrounded by a shell that contains urushiol, a potent skin toxin also found in poison ivy.