ft. and is located in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The Cashew is a nut-bearing tree that is native to the country of Brazil. [5] The cashew apple is a light reddish to yellow fruit, whose pulp can be processed into a sweet, astringent fruit drink or fermented and distilled into liquor. The province of Pampanga also has a sweet dessert called turrones de casuy, which is cashew marzipan wrapped in white wafers. Feni is about 40–42% alcohol. It is known under various names in the local languages of Mozambique (muchekele in Emakua, spoken in the North; xicadju in Changana, spoken in the South). The tree produces a fleshy, pear-shaped stalk called a cashew apple on its branches. These capitalize on the chemically versatile construct, which contains three functional groups: the aromatic ring, the hydroxyl group, and the double bonds in the flanking alkyl chain. And like most nuts, cashews are also a good source of vitamin E and cancer-fighting phytochemicals. While many of the cashews produced for commerce come from Africa and India, the cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale) is native to tropical regions of Brazil. Later, it is reconstituted with water and fermented, then distilled to make a strong liquor named gongo. The flowers are produced in a panicle or corymb up to 26 cm (10 in) long; each flower is small, pale green at first, then turning reddish, with five slender, acute petals 7–15 mm (0.28–0.59 in) long. The fruit, or ‘cashew apple’, which resembles a bell pepper, is what is called a ‘false fruit’. Fermented juice then undergoes a double distillation process. Thank you for signing up to Live Science. Filmed in Costa Rica. A Brief History of Cashew Nuts Other trees cultivated along with the cashew tree are the tamarind and mangotrees which are also well-adapted to s… Grafting and other modern tree management technologies are used to further improve and sustain cashew nut yields in commercial orchards. However, cashews that have not been dried and roasted can be purchased in some stores and online. Brazil, India, and Vietnam accounted for 92% (6%, 11%, and 75% respectively) of the United States cashew imports. More recent breeds, such as the dwarf cashew trees, are up to 6 m tall, and start producing after the first year, with economic yields after three years. The leaves are spirally arranged, leathery textured, elliptic to obovate, 4–22 cm (1.6–8.7 in) long and 2–15 cm (0.79–5.91 in) broad, with smooth margins. The cashew tree is native to northeastern Brazil, but the Portuguese took it to Goa, India between 1560 and 1565. The cashew tree is large and evergreen, growing to 14 m (46 ft) tall, with a short, often irregularly shaped trunk. [37], As well as the botanical name Anacardium occidentale, the tree is known by common, or vernacular names. In Goan cuisine, both roasted and raw kernels are used whole for making curries and sweets. [35], When consumed, the apple's astringency is sometimes removed by steaming the fruit for five minutes before washing it in cold water. Anacardic acid is also used in the chemical industry for the production of cardanol, which is used for resins, coatings, and frictional materials. This is where cashews come from. Stay up to date on the coronavirus outbreak by signing up to our newsletter today. In Indonesia, roasted and salted cashews are called kacang mete or kacang mede, while the cashew apple is called jambu monyet (lit. The cashew is not a nut, however; it’s a seed. Frederic Patenaude talks about the cashew fruit. [8] The word anacardium was earlier used to refer to Semecarpus anacardium (the marking nut tree) before Carl Linnaeus transferred it to the cashew; both plants are in the same family. 'Magic mushrooms' grow in man's blood after injection with shroom tea, Orangutans and otters strike up darling friendship at Belgium zoo, Bizarre new type of locomotion discovered in invasive snakes. The resulting beverage is called feni or fenny. Feedipedia, a programme by INRA, CIRAD, AFZ and FAO. Have you ever seen a cashew apple? As nuts go, cashews are pretty strange. The inner shell is hard and must be cracked like other nuts. Where Do Cashews Come From? The Human Rights Watch made shocking claims about where cashew nuts come from. [4] In 2017, Vietnam, India, and the Ivory Coast were the major producers. For the rapid transit station, see. Please refresh the page and try again. This dessert is popular in South Africa. In Mozambique, cashew farmers commonly make a strong liquor from the cashew apple. The first thing you need to know about gout and cashews is what this nut is and where it comes from. [26][27][28][29] These allergies are triggered by the proteins found in tree nuts, and cooking often does not remove or change these proteins. Despite its propensity to poison, the cashew is lauded for its substantial store of nutrients. … In 2014, rapid growth of cashew cultivation in Ivory Coast made this country the top African exporter. The cashew nut yields for the traditional tree are about 0.25 metric tons per hectare, in contrast to over a ton per hectare for the dwarf variety. [14], In Brazil, cashew fruit juice and the fruit pulp are used in the production of sweets, juice, alcoholic beverages, such as cachaça, and as a flour, milk or cheese. The total amount of cashews imported by the United States increased by 32% in the last four years from 111,322 metric tons in 2012. Where do cashews come from? Eat the fruit, throw away the cashew! Follow LiveScience @livescience. Commercial growers cultivate cashews in warm, humid climates across the globe; Vietnam, Nigeria, India, Brazil, and Indonesia are among the top producers. 2,500-year-old temple to Greek love goddess unearthed in Turkey, 'Bumblebee gravity' could explain why the universe is expanding so quickly, Parasite found in cat poop linked to higher brain cancer risk in humans, Statue of mysterious woman with 'Star Wars'-like headdress found in Mexico. Its English name derives from the Portuguese name for the fruit of the cashew tree: caju (Portuguese pronunciation: [kaˈʒu]), also known as acaju, which itself is from the Tupian word acajú, literally meaning "nut that produces itself". It is also used in powdered form in the preparation of several Indian sweets and desserts. You might think they grow inside a shell like any other nut, but their true origins are far more bizarre. 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