Cashews grow in a shell that’s attached to a “cashew apple” which is attached to the branch of the tree. Cashews, as you know them, are nuts. This dessert is popular in South Africa. Fermented juice then undergoes a double distillation process. What are cashews and where they come from? What Do Cashew Plants Look Like? But as Deborah Enos, a certified nutritionist and health coach explains in her column for Live Science, people should use caution when purchasing any cashews labeled as "raw." [35] Cashew apple juice, however, may be used for manufacturing blended juices. The largest cashew tree in the worldcovers an area around 7,500 … Portuguese missionaries took it to East Africa and India during the late 16th century, where it became abundant at low altitudes near the seacoast. Grafting and other modern tree management technologies are used to further improve and sustain cashew nut yields in commercial orchards. Ever wonder where cashews come from? These trees, formally known as Anacardium occidentale, originate from tropical regions of Brazil. Cashew trees grow wide and fairly tall, anywhere from 20 to 30 feet. Small bowl of mixed nuts displaying large nuts on top and peanuts below. Culinary uses for cashew seeds in snacking and cooking are similar to those for all tree seeds called nuts. The cashew is inside the dark hull at the bottom, it is slightly sticky, strong smelling and toxic. Later, it is reconstituted with water and fermented, then distilled to make a strong liquor named gongo. Though they are grown for commercial use in various other tropical regions of the world largely in … 1. Cashew or originates from the Caribbean Islands and the North East of Brazil. Technically, the cashew nut itself is the tree's fruit, so the fleshy cashew "apple" is merely a byproduct. This may be produced from a single cold pressing.[30]. [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. Its corrosive coating is the reason that cashew nuts are not sold in their shells like pistachios or peanuts. [1] The top end of the cashew apple is attached to the stem that comes off the tree. The "false fruit" is edible, but highly perishable. The Portuguese were responsible for spreading the tree in other regions and introduced the cashew tree to India in the 1550s. These substances are skin allergens, like lacquer and the oils of poison ivy, and present a danger during manual cashew processing. Cashew nuts come from fruit producing trees. Its nut, also known as cashew, is commonly eaten as food. [37], As well as the botanical name Anacardium occidentale, the tree is known by common, or vernacular names. Cashews are native to Brazil and widely produced in India and parts of Africa. There was a problem. It’s really quite interesting…It all begins in a tropical region such as Brazil, Nigeria, India, Vietnam, Philippines and of course Indonesia. © What are Cashew Nuts Health Benefits? They come from a cashew tree, which is an evergreen. Fita, Are you meaning you blend the dried cashew nuts with mango and banana. Cashews are native to Brazil and there can be found in countless forms. In many countries, particularly in South America, the cashew apple is used to flavor drinks, both alcoholic and nonalcoholic. The cashew tree is cultivated in the tropics between 25°N and 25°S, and is supremely adapted to hot lowland areas with a pronounced dry season, where the mango and tamarind trees also thrive. Cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL) or cashew shell oil (CAS registry number 8007-24-7) is a natural resin with a yellowish sheen found in the honeycomb structure of the cashew nutshell, and is a byproduct of processing cashew nuts. The primary producers of cashew nuts are Brazil, India, Vietnam, Africa (Tanzania and Mozambique), and South East Asia. Brazil, India, and Vietnam accounted for 92% (6%, 11%, and 75% respectively) of the United States cashew imports. The tree produces a long, fleshy stalk, called a cashew apple, which resembles a small pear. The largest cashew tree in the world covers about 81,000 sq. They are native to the Caribbean Islands and North East Brazil. Like the tree, the nut is often simply called cashew. Animals can also eat the leaves of cashew trees. Future US, Inc. 11 West 42nd Street, 15th Floor, … You might think they grow inside a shell like any other nut, but their true origins are far more bizarre. Despite its propensity to poison, the cashew is lauded for its substantial store of nutrients. As nuts go, cashews are pretty strange. Cashews come from the cashew tree, known for its large leaves and pink flowers. Where do cashews come from? [16] Due to the possible dermatitis, cashews are typically not sold in the shell to consumers. Photo from 2016, Species of flowering plant in the family Anacardiaceae, This article is about the tree and its nut. Cashew (Anacardium occidentale) nuts and by-products. The cashew tree is large and evergreen, growing to 14 m (46 ft) tall, with a short, often irregularly shaped trunk. They're delicious.I messed up my latest video and decided to refilm some of it. Inside a stem of the fruit, the cashew nut lives. The cashew tree does well in the tropics between the 250 N and 250 S latitudes and is best-suited in regions which experience a long dry season. I have actually been to a small scale cashew nut factory based in South Goa in India and have seen how the cashew nuts are processed. [20] Fluctuations in world market prices, poor working conditions, and low pay for local harvesting have caused discontent in the cashew nut industry.[21][22][23]. Please deactivate your ad blocker in order to see our subscription offer. From India, the tree spread all over Southeast Asia and finally reached West Africa. The fruit, or ‘cashew apple’, which resembles a bell pepper, is what is called a ‘false fruit’. What is a Cashew? At the end of this stalk grows the kidney-shaped cashew nut that many know and love. This page was last edited on 11 January 2021, at 16:48. 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. Then, dry roast them at 350°F (188°C) on the middle rack of your oven for 8–15 minutes. [1], The generic name Anacardium is composed of the Greek prefix ana- (ἀνά-, aná, 'up, upward'), the Greek cardia (καρδία, kardía, 'heart'), and the New Latin suffix -ium. But today it is grown in several other tropical parts of the world, mostly in Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. Stay up to date on the coronavirus outbreak by signing up to our newsletter today. The shell of the cashew seed yields derivatives that can be used in many applications including lubricants, waterproofing, paints, and, starting in World War II, arms production. National Museum of Denmark, View of a cashew tree stem in Lawachara National Park, Bangladesh. 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). Cashew nut oil, as well as the leaves and bark of the cashew tree, have also been used in traditional medicines in communities around the world to treat everything from toothaches to diabetes. Turkey has the right idea. Overview Information Cashew is a tree that is native to Brazil. [citation needed], The shell of the cashew nut contains oil compounds that can cause contact dermatitis similar to poison ivy, primarily resulting from the phenolic lipids, anacardic acid, and cardanol. In contrast to the above-mentioned feni of Goa, the cashew liquor made in Mozambique does not involve the extraction of the juice from the cashew apples. Growing in the tropics, cashew trees flower and fruit in the winter or dry season, producing a nut that’s much more than a nut and has to be handled with care.Keep reading to learn how to harvest cashews. Follow LiveScience @livescience. 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. And like most nuts, cashews are also a good source of vitamin E and cancer-fighting phytochemicals. [1] What appears to be the fruit is an oval or pear-shaped structure, a hypocarpium, that develops from the pedicel and the receptacle of the cashew flower. Follow Elizabeth Palermo on Twitter @techEpalermo, Facebook or Google+. [24] The traditional cashew tree is tall (up to 14 m) and takes three years from planting before it starts production, and eight years before economic harvests can begin. Feni is about 40–42% alcohol. [citation needed], The true fruit of the cashew tree is a kidney– or boxing-glove–shaped drupe that grows at the end of the cashew apple. Though you might think of it as just another nut in the trail mix, the cashew is a decidedly strange snack. [31] Its composition varies depending on how it is processed. The thin outer shell is smooth and glasslike. However, cashews that have not been dried and roasted can be purchased in some stores and online. [17] Readily and inexpensively extracted from the waste shells, cardanol is under research for its potential applications in nanomaterials and biotechnology.[18]. The bottom end of the cashew apple attaches to the cashew nut, which is encased in a shell. Cashews, unlike peanuts, come from a tree. 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