Nuts

Skin

Cashew skin, or pellicle, is the thin brown seed coat that clings to the kernel after the hard shell has been removed. It carries mild tannin and a slightly astringent edge that some whole-food cooks keep for fibre flecks and others strip for pale confectionery. On a raw or roasted kernel the skin is papery and edible; it is nothing like the caustic outer shell and must not be confused with it. Blanching in hot water or a light roast-and-rub loosens skins when a cleaner colour is required. Skin-on kernels darken meals and cookies with brown speckles; skin-off kernels give ivory pastes and white-chocolate applications a brighter look. For fine European-style pastes, remove skins carefully and sieve dust away from icings. Home kitchens usually compost the rubbed-off coats. Fresh skins smell like the nut itself; mouldy or musty skins on a batch signal poor storage of the kernels underneath. Leaving skins on is a culinary choice, not a safety shortcut around shell processing—that work must already be finished.