Is this true about raw nuts...

[pinenut]

I've read that raw shelled nuts are heated to de-shell them...is this true? If so does this cause the nuts to not longer be considered raw and living or it just the shells that get affected?

I often buy bags of raw organic nuts in the health food section of the grocery stores, but now I'm wondering if I'm really eating raw :( .

If this is the case, I'm going to have a real hard time here in Cayman because none of the four grocery stores carry shelled nuts!

[Shivananda]

Somebody else just asked the same thing in this thread:
http://www.rawfoodtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11379&highlight=shell

Anyway, the quick answer is that some are and some are not. Some are dried artificially, some are just sundried, or sometimes fermented. Some (like Black Diamond Walnuts) have an outer fruit removed by drying, and an inner shell that is literally exploded off the nut using gas, and a flame. But there are smaller organic suppliers that use mechanical shellers. You really do have to inquire.

Oh, and if you happen to check with American suppliers, our terminology is kind of opposite what you are using. The common use of the term "shelled nuts" here in the States means nuts that have been removed from their shells. Nuts not removed from their shells are commonly referred to as "in the shell."

[pinenut]

Oh, ok thank you!

I guess I'll have to start doing some investigating to find out about the raw nuts here. Most of them come shipped to us from Central America (Panama mostly), so who knows what they do to them there! :p