Cashew

The cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale)

is a tropical evergreen tree that produces
the cashew seed (nut) and the cashew
apple.[1] It can grow as high as 14 m
(46 ft), but the dwarf cashew, growing up
to 6 m (20 ft), has proved more profitable,
with earlier maturity and higher yields.
 Cashew

Ripe cashew fruit

Scientific classification

Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots

Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Anacardiaceae

Genus: Anacardium

S i A id t l
Species: A. occidentale
Binomial name
Anacardium occidentale
L.

The species is originally native to

northeastern Brazil.[1] Portuguese
colonists in Brazil began exporting cashew
nuts as early as the 1550s.[2] Major
production of cashews occurs in Vietnam,
Nigeria, India, and Ivory Coast.[3]

The cashew nut, often simply called a

cashew, is widely consumed. It is eaten on
its own, used in recipes, or processed into
cashew cheese or cashew butter. The
shell of the cashew seed yields derivatives
that can be used in many applications
including lubricants, waterproofing, paints,
and arms production, starting in World War
II.[4] The cashew apple is a light reddish to
yellow fruit, whose pulp can be processed
into a sweet, astringent fruit drink or
distilled into liquor.

Etymology
Its English name derives from the
Portuguese name for the fruit of the
cashew tree caju (Portuguese
pronunciation: [kaˈʒu]), which itself is
derived from the Tupian word acajú,
literally meaning "nut that produces
itself".[1] The generic name "Anacardium"
(derived from Greek ἀνά (aná), meaning
"outside," and καρδία (kardía), meaning
"heart", refers to the unusual location of
the seed (the heart) outside of the fruit.

Habitat and growth

Flower of cashew tree

Cashew tree

The cashew tree is large and evergreen,

growing to 14 m (46 ft) tall, with a short,
often irregularly shaped trunk. 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 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 largest cashew
tree in the world covers an area around
7,500 m2 (81,000 sq ft); it is located in
Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.

The fruit of the cashew tree is an

accessory fruit (sometimes called a
pseudocarp or false fruit).[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.[5] Called the cashew apple,
better known in Central America as
marañón, it ripens into a yellow or red
structure about 5–11 cm (2.0–4.3 in) long.
It is edible and has a strong "sweet" smell
and taste.

The true fruit of the cashew tree is a

kidney or boxing-glove shaped drupe that
grows at the end of the cashew apple. The
drupe develops first on the tree, and then
the pedicel expands to become the
cashew apple.[1] Within the true fruit is a
single seed, which is often considered a
nut, in the culinary sense. The seed is
surrounded by a double shell containing an
allergenic phenolic resin, anacardic acid, a
potent skin irritant chemically related to
the better-known allergenic oil urushiol
which is also a toxin found in the related
poison ivy. Some people are allergic to
cashews, but cashews are a less frequent
allergen than tree nuts or peanuts.[6]

While the cashew plant is native to

northeast Brazil, the Portuguese took it to
Goa, India, between 1560 and 1565. From
there, it spread throughout Southeast Asia
and eventually Africa.

Cashew nut and shell

A woman uses a machine to shell cashews in Phuket,

Thailand.

Cashews as a snack

Culinary uses for cashew seeds in

snacking and cooking are similar to those
for all tree seeds called nuts.

Cashews are commonly used in Indian

cuisine and Pakistani cuisine, whole for
garnishing sweets or curries, or ground
into a paste that forms a base of sauces
for curries (e.g., korma), or some sweets
(e.g., kaju barfi). It is also used in
powdered form in the preparation of
several Indian sweets and desserts. In
Goan cuisine, both roasted and raw
kernels are used whole for making curries
and sweets. Cashews are also used in
Thai and Chinese cuisines, generally in
whole form. In the Philippines, cashew is a
known product of Antipolo, and is eaten
with suman. The province of Pampanga
also has a sweet dessert called turrones
de casuy, which is cashew marzipan
wrapped in white wafers. In Indonesia,
roasted and salted cashews are called
kacang mete or kacang mede, while the
cashew apple is called jambu monyet
(translates in English to monkey rose
apple).

In the 21st century, cashew cultivation

increased in several African countries to
meet the demands for manufacturing
cashew milk, a plant milk alternative to
dairy milk.[7] In Mozambique, bolo polana
is a cake prepared using powdered
cashews and mashed potatoes as the
main ingredients. This dessert is popular
in South Africa.[8]

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.[9]
In Panama, the cashew fruit is cooked with
water and sugar for a prolonged time to
make a sweet, brown, paste-like dessert
called dulce de marañón, with marañón as
a Spanish name for cashew.

The shell of the cashew nut contains oil

compounds which may cause contact
dermatitis similar in severity to that of
poison ivy, primarily resulting from the
phenolic lipids, anacardic acid, and
cardanol.[10] Due to the possible
dermatitis, cashews are typically not sold
in the shell to consumers.[11] Readily and
inexpensively extracted from the waste
shells, cardanol is under research for its
potential applications in nanomaterials
and biotechnology.[12]

Production
Cashew Nut Production(As Kernels) in 2017

Production
Country
(tonnes)

 Vietnam 863,060

 India 745,000

 Côte d'Ivoire 711,000

 Philippines 222,541

World 3,971,046
Source: FAOSTAT of the United Nations[13]

In 2017, global production of cashew nuts

(as the kernel) was 3,971,046 tonnes, led
by Vietnam, India and Côte d'Ivoire with
22%, 19%, and 18% of the world's total
respectively(table). Benin, Guinea-Bissau,
Tanzania, Mozambique, Indonesia, and
Brazil also had significant production of
cashew kernels.

In 2014, rapid growth of cashew

cultivation in Côte d'Ivoire made this
country the top African exporter.[14]
Fluctuations in world market prices, poor
working conditions, and low pay for local
harvesting have caused discontent in the
cashew nut industry.[15][16][17]

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.[18] 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. 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 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. Grafting and
other modern tree management
technologies are used to further improve
and sustain cashew nut yields in
commercial orchards.

Nutrition
Cashews, raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)

Energy 553 kcal (2,310 kJ)

Carbohydrates 30.19 g
Starch 23.49 g
Sugars 5.91 g
lactose 0.00 g
Dietary fiber 3.3 g

Fat 43.85 g
Saturated 7.783 g
Monounsaturated 23.797 g
Polyunsaturated 7.845 g

Protein 18.22 g

Vitamins Quantity %DV†

Vitamin A 0 IU
Thiamine (B1) 0.423 mg 37%
Riboflavin (B2) 0.058 mg 5%
Niacin (B3) 1.062 mg 7%
 Pantothenic acid (B5) 0.86 mg 17%
Vitamin B6 0.417 mg 32%
Folate (B9) 25 μg 6%
Vitamin B12 0 μg 0%
Vitamin C 0.5 mg 1%
Vitamin D 0 μg 0%
Vitamin E 0.90 mg 6%
Vitamin K 34.1 μg 32%

Minerals Quantity %DV†

Calcium 37 mg 4%
Copper 2.2 mg 110%
Iron 6.68 mg 51%
Magnesium 292 mg 82%
Manganese 1.66 mg 79%
Phosphorus 593 mg 85%
Potassium 660 mg 14%
Selenium 19.9 μg 28%
Sodium 12 mg 1%
Zinc 5.78 mg 61%
Other constituents Quantity
Water 5.20 g

Link to USDA Database entry

Units
μg = micrograms • mg = milligrams
IU = International units
†Percentages are roughly approximated using
US recommendations for adults.
Source: USDA Nutrient Database

In a 100-gram serving, raw cashews

provide 553 Calories, 67% of the Daily
Value (DV) in total fats, 36% DV of protein,
13% DV of dietary fiber and 11% DV of
carbohydrates (table).[19] Cashews are rich
sources (> 19% DV) of dietary minerals,
including particularly copper, manganese,
phosphorus, and magnesium (79-110%
DV), and of thiamin, vitamin B6 and vitamin
K (32-37% DV) (table).[19] Iron, potassium,
zinc, and selenium are present in
significant content (14-61% DV) (table).[19]
Cashews (100 grams, raw) contain 113
milligrams (1.74 gr) of beta-sitosterol.[19]

Allergy

For some 6% of people, cashews can lead

to complications or allergic
reactions[20][21][22] which may be life-
threatening.[21] These allergies are
triggered by the proteins found in tree
nuts, and cooking often does not remove
or change these proteins. Reactions to
cashew and tree nuts can also occur as a
consequence of hidden nut ingredients or
traces of nuts that may inadvertently be
introduced during food processing,
handling, or manufacturing, particularly in
people of European descent.[20][21]

Cashew oil
Cashew oil is a dark yellow oil for cooking
or salad dressing pressed from cashew
nuts (typically broken chunks created
during processing). This may be produced
from a single cold pressing.[23]

Cashew shell oil

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. It is a raw
material of multiple uses in developing
drugs, antioxidants, fungicides, and
biomaterials.[12] It is used in tropical folk
medicine and for antitermite treatment of
timber.[24] Its composition varies
depending on how it is processed.
Cold, solvent-extracted CNSL is mostly
composed of anacardic acids (70%),[25]
cardol (18%) and cardanol (5%).[12][26]
Heating CNSL decarboxylates the
anacardic acids, producing a technical
grade of CNSL that is rich in cardanol.
Distillation of this material gives
distilled, technical CNSL containing 78%
cardanol and 8% cardol (cardol has one
more hydroxyl group than cardanol).[26]
This process also reduces the degree of
thermal polymerization of the
unsaturated alkyl-phenols present in
CNSL.
 Anacardic acid is also used in the
chemical industry for the production of
cardanol, which is used for resins,
coatings, and frictional materials.[25][26]

These substances are skin allergens, like

the oils of poison ivy, and present danger
during manual cashew processing.[24]

This natural oil phenol has been found to

have interesting chemical structural
features which enable a range of chemical
modifications to create a wide spectrum
of biobased monomers capitalizing on the
chemically versatile construct, containing
three different functional groups: the
aromatic ring, the hydroxyl group, and the
double bonds in the flanking alkyl chain.
These can be split into key groups, used as
polyols, which have recently seen a
dramatic increase in demand for their
biobased origin and key chemical
attributes such as high reactivity, range of
functionalities, reduction in blowing
agents, and naturally occurring fire
retardant properties in the field of ridged
polyurethanes aided by their inherent
phenolic structure and larger number of
reactive units per unit mass.[12]

CNSL may be used as a resin for carbon

composite products.[27] CNSL-based
Novolac is another versatile industrial
monomer deriving from cardanol typically
used as a reticulating agent for epoxy
matrices in composite applications
providing good thermal and mechanical
properties to the final composite material.

Cashew apple
This section needs additional citations for
verification.
Learn more

The cashew apple, also called cashew

fruit, is the fleshy part of the cashew fruit
attached to the cashew nut.[1] The top end
of the cashew apple is attached to the
stem that comes off the tree. The bottom
end of the cashew apple attaches to the
cashew nut, which is encased in a shell. In
botanical terms, the cashew apple is an
accessory fruit that grows on the cashew
seed (which is the nut).

The cashew apple can be eaten fresh,

cooked in curries, or fermented into
vinegar, as well as an alcoholic drink. It is
also used to make preserves, chutneys,
and jams in some countries such as India
and Brazil. In many countries, particularly
in South America, the cashew apple is
used to flavor drinks, both alcoholic and
nonalcoholic.[1]
Cashew nuts are more widely traded than
cashew apples, because the apple, unlike
the nut, is easily bruised and has very
limited shelf life.[28] Cashew apple juice,
however, may be used for manufacturing
blended juices.[28]

In cultures that consume cashew apples

its astringency is sometimes removed by
steaming the fruit for five minutes before
washing it in cold water; alternatively,
boiling the fruit in salt water for five
minutes or soaking it in gelatin solution
also reduces the astringency.[29]

Alcohol
In Goa, the cashew apple is mashed and
the juice extracted and kept for
fermentation for a few days. Fermented
juice then undergoes a double distillation
process. The resulting beverage is called
feni or fenny. Feni is about 40–42%
alcohol. The single-distilled version is
called urrac, which is about 15% alcohol.

In the southern region of Mtwara,

Tanzania, the cashew apple (bibo in
Swahili) is dried and saved. Later, it is
reconstituted with water and fermented,
then distilled to make a strong liquor often
referred to by the generic name, gongo.
In Mozambique, cashew farmers
commonly make a strong liquor from the
cashew apple. 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). 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. Following harvest and the
removal of the nuts, the apples are spread
on the ground under trees and courtyards
and allowed to lose water and ferment.
The shrivelled fruits are then used for
distillation.
According to one source,[30] an alcohol
had been distilled in the early 20th century
from the juice of the fruit, and was
manufactured in the West Indies.

Animal feed
Discarded cashew nuts unfit for human
consumption, alongside the residues of oil
extraction from cashew kernels, can be
used to feed livestock. Animals can also
eat the leaves of cashew trees.[31]

Gallery
Young cashew fruits

Cashew sprouts are eaten raw or cooked

Cashew fruit seller in India

Distilling cashew apple liquor or

"muchekele" in Mozambique
Shriveled, fermented cashew apples ready
for distillation, Mozambique

'Anacardium occidentale', from Koehler's

'Medicinal-Plants' (1887)
Mameluca woman under a fruiting cashew
tree (1641–1644) by Albert Eckhout.
National Museum of Denmark

View of a Cashew tree stem in Lawachara

National Park, Bangladesh. Photo of 2016.
See also
Cajuína
Cashew pie
List of culinary nuts
Semecarpus anacardium (the Oriental
Anacardium) is a native of India and is
closely related to the cashew.

References
1. Morton, Julia F (1987). "Cashew apple,
Anacardium occidentale L." Fruits of warm
climates, Julia F. Morton. Center for New
Crops and Plant Products, Department of
Horticulture and Landscape Architecture,
Purdue University, W. Lafayette, IN. pp. 239–
240. ISBN 978-0-9610184-1-2. Archived
from the original on 2007-03-15. Retrieved
2007-03-18.
2. Carolyn Jostock, "Cashew Industry" in
Encyclopedia of Latin American History and
Culture, vol. 2, p. 5. New York: Charles
Scribner's Sons 1996.
3. "Major Food And Agricultural
Commodities And Producers – Countries
By Commodity" . United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organization, Statistics Division.
2013. Archived from the original on 2015-
10-15. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
4. Jostock, "Cashew Industry", p. 5.
5. Varghese, T.; Pundir, Y. (1964). "Anatomy
of the pseudocarp in Anacardium
occidentale L.". Proceedings of the Indian
Academy of Sciences, Section B. 59 (5):
252–258.
6. Rosen, T.; Fordice, D. B. (April 1994).
"Cashew Nut Dermatitis". Southern Medical
Journal. 87 (4): 543–546.
doi:10.1097/00007611-199404000-00026 .
PMID 8153790 .
7. Osborn M (26 August 2015). "Access to
Market Data and Supply Chain Visibility
offer Economic Boost to Ghana Cashew
Farmers" . Consumer Goods Technology.
Archived from the original on 2016-06-04.
Retrieved 11 May 2016.
8. Phillippa Cheifitz (2009). South Africa
Eats . Archived from the original on 2013-
12-11. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
9. Edi Souza (2018-07-28). "It's cashew time
at the fair and on the plate (translated)" (in
Portuguese). Folha de Pernambuco.
Archived from the original on 2018-08-21.
Retrieved 2018-08-21.
10. Rosen T.; Fordice, D. B. (1994). "Cashew
nut dermatitis". South Med J. 87 (4): 543–
46. doi:10.1097/00007611-199404000-
00026 . PMID 8153790 .
11. "Why Cashews Aren't Sold In The
Shell" . Moment of Science, Indiana Public
Media. September 6, 2013. Archived from
the original on 2016-02-20. Retrieved
2016-02-22.
12. Hamad F. B.; Mubofu E. B. (2015).
"Potential biological applications of bio-
based anacardic acids and their
derivatives" . Int J Mol Sci. 16 (4): 8569–90.
doi:10.3390/ijms16048569 .
PMC 4425097 . PMID 25894225 .
13. "FAOSTAT of the United Nations" .
FAOSTAT of the United Nations. Archived
from the original on 7 January 2019.
Retrieved 7 January 2019.
14. Bavier, Joe (29 October 2014). "War-
scarred Ivory Coast aims to conquer the
world of cashews" . Reuters. Retrieved
9 February 2015.
15. "Tanzania riots over cashew nut
payments" . BBC. 24 April 2013. Archived
from the original on 2013-05-21. Retrieved
14 May 2013.
16. Lamble L. (2 November 2013). "Cashew
nut workers suffer 'appalling' conditions as
global slump dents profits" . The Guardian.
Retrieved 6 September 2015.
17. Wilson B. (4 May 2015). " 'Blood
cashews': the toxic truth about your
favourite nut" . The Telegraph. Retrieved
6 September 2015.
18. "Cultivating Cashew Nuts" . ARC-
Institute for Tropical and Subtropical Crops,
South Africa. Archived from the original on
2015-02-21. Retrieved February 15, 2015.
19. "Full Report (All Nutrients): 12087, Nuts,
cashew nuts, raw, database version SR 27" .
Agricultural Research Service – United
States Department of Agriculture. 2015.
Archived from the original on 2015-08-18.
Retrieved 6 August 2015.
20. McWilliam V.; Koplin J.; Lodge C.; Tang
M.; Dharmage S.; Allen K. (2015). "The
prevalence of tree nut allergy: a systematic
review". Curr Allergy Asthma Rep. 15 (9):
555. doi:10.1007/s11882-015-0555-8 .
PMID 26233427 .
21. "Cashew Allergies" . Informall Database
– funded by European Union. 2010.
Archived from the original on 29 October
2010.
22. "Food Allergies – INFOSAN" (PDF).
World Health Organization. 2006.
23. "Cashew Oil" . Smart Kitchen. Retrieved
February 15, 2015.
24. "World Agriculture and the
Environment", by Jason W. Clay, p. 268
25. Alexander H. Tullo (September 8, 2008).
"A Nutty Chemical". Chemical and
Engineering News. 86 (36): 26–27.
doi:10.1021/cen-v086n033.p026 .
26. "Exposure and Use Data for Cashew Nut
Shell Liquid" (PDF). United States
Environmental Protection Agency. Archived
from the original (PDF) on 2013-05-12.
Retrieved 2012-01-12.
27. Ferri, Enrico (22 May 2011). "Bioresins
Derived from Cashew Nutshell Oil" .
MaterialsToday. Archived from the original
on 2015-09-10. Retrieved 7 September
2011.
28. Strom, Stephanie (2014-08-08).
"Cashew Juice, the Apple of Pepsi's Eye" .
The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331 .
Retrieved 2015-11-24.
29. Azam-Ali and Judge (2004). Small-scale
cashew nut processing (PDF). FAO, United
Nations. Archived (PDF) from the original
on 2017-02-15. Retrieved 2017-06-03.
30. Percival, Robert (1803). An Account of
the Island of Ceylon: Its History, Geography,
Natural History, with the Manners and
Customs of its various Inhabitants .
London: C. & R. Baldwin.
31. Heuzé V., Tran G., Hassoun P.,
Bastianelli D., Lebas F., 2017. Cashew
(Anacardium occidentale) nuts and by-
products. Feedipedia, a programme by
INRA, CIRAD, AFZ and FAO.
https://www.feedipedia.org/node/56
Further reading
Jostock, Carolyn. "Cashew Industry" in
Encyclopedia of Latin American History
and Culture, vol. 2, p. 5. New York:
Charles Scribner's Sons 1996.
Olaya, Clara Inés. "Cajú/ Marañon/
Merey/Acaiu/Cashew Nut", in Americas
42, no. 3 (1990), 52–53.

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