Amateur Cook wrote:
>
> I wonder if its an enzyme in the cashews or the oil or whatever
> from the cashews..
It's probably the cashew toxin, urushiol, not the oil content.
In which case, you probably also react to mangos.
Quoting from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cashew
The urushiol must be removed from the dark green nut shells
before the seed inside is processed for consumption; this is
done by shelling the nuts, a somewhat hazardous process, and
exceedingly painful skin rashes (similar to poison-ivy rashes)
among processing workers are common. In India urushiol is
traditionally used to control tamed elephants by their mahouts
(riders or keepers). The so-called "raw cashews" available in
health food shops have been cooked but not roasted or browned.