Origin Of Cashews: How Did This Popular Nut Arrive In India?

Foralongtime,cashewshavebeenknownasanutritiousnutthatislovedbymanypeoplearoundtheworld.Cashewsareknownasasnackandareahealthyfood,versatile,anduniquecomparedtoothernuts,andfullofnutrientsnecessaryforgoodhealth.Besidesthegreatuses,aswellasthevaluecashewnuts,bring,noteveryoneknowsitsorigin.Sowheredocashewscomefrom?Weinviteyoutofollowtheusefulinformationbelow.

Thereisafactthatnoteveryoneknowsaboutcashewfruit-thisisadry,non-self-openingfruit,kidney-shaped,about2to3cmlongwithahardoutershellandsunkenface.Thefruitstemisenlarged,pearorpeach-likeinshape,redoryellow.Becauseofthat,weoftenassumethatthebulgingstemisthefruitandthecashewnutistheseed.Therefore,manypeopleoftenmistakecashewsforgymnospermsbutcashewnutsareexactlyangiosperms-kidney-shapedseedsrichinfattyoils.

Thoughyoumightthinkofitasjustanothernutintrailmix,thecashewisadecidedlystrangesnack.Sproutinglikeatailfromthebottomofanoddlyshapedfruitcalledthecashewapple.Itsnaturalstateisbothveryweird-lookingandverypoisonous.Themainusedpartofthecashewnutisthecashewkernel.Theirslightlysweetflavour,satisfyingcrunch,andbutterytexturepairwellwithavarietyofflavoursandculinaryapplications.Cashewsareusuallygroupedwithothertypesoftreenuts,buttheyalsohavealotincommonwithlegumesandseeds.

Althoughitisnowgrowninmanyplaces,theoriginofthecashewtreeisfromthenortheasternregionofBrazil.ItwaslaterbroughttoIndiabytheSpaniardsinthe16thcentury.ThePortugueseempireatthattimealsobroughtcashewtreestotheircoloniesinAfricasuchasKongoorMozambique.TheyplanteditinGoatopreventcoastalerosion.

Cashewnuttreesareusedtomitigatesoilerosionbecauseoftheirextensiverootsystem,whichkeepsthesoilbeneaththemfirmlyinplace.FromIndia,thecashewtreethenquicklyspreadthroughoutSoutheastAsiasuchasVietnam,Indonesia,Cambodia,etc.Today'scommercialcashewtreesaregrownmainlyinplaceswherethereisalotofrainandwetweatherthroughouttheyearsuchasintheSoutheastregionofVietnam.

Thecashewseediscommonlyconsideredasnacknut-cashewnut-eatenonitsown,usedinrecipes,orprocessedintocashewcheeseorcashewbutter.Likethetree,thenutisoftensimplycalled'cashew'.Cashewsallergiesaretriggeredbyproteinsfoundintreenutsandcookingoftendoesnotremoveorchangetheseproteins.Thecashewtree(Anacardiumoccidentale)isnativetotropicalregionsofBrazil.Thetreeproducesalongfleshystalkcalleda'cashewapple' whichresemblesasmallpear.Thematuredcashewapplecanbeeatenfreshaswellascooked.

Intheend,thisstalkgrowskidney-shaped'cashewnuts'thatmanyknowandlove.Cashewsgrowinareaswithtropicalclimatesatelevationssealevelof1000mwithanannualrainfallof400-4000mmparallelfrom30degreesNorthto30degreesSouth.Today,theyaregrownmainlyinIndia,Vietnam,IvoryCoast,GuineaBissau,Tanzania,Benin,Brazil,andothercountriesinEastandWestCentralAfricaandSoutheastAsia.Moreover,cashewisalsogrowninSouthAfricaandAustralia.

Cashewnutsareprotectedbyadoubleshellcontainingapotentpoisoncalledanacardicacid.Thisoilysubstance,closelyrelatedtourushiol(thetoxiccompoundfoundinpoisonivy,poisonoak,andpoisonsumac),actsasanirritantcausinganallergicrashontheskin.Itscorrosivecoatingisthereasonthatcashewnutsarenotsoldintheirshellslikepistachiosorpeanuts.Instead,cashewsaretypicallydriedandroasted-aprocessthatridsthenutoftoxicoilsandleavesitsshellbrittleandeasytoremove.

CashewsarebelievedtohaveoriginatedinnortheasternBrazil.TheywereintroducedtoIndiabythePortugueseinthe16thcenturyduringtheircolonizationefforts.ThePortugueseestablishedtraderoutesandsettlementsalongthewesterncoastofIndia,anditwasduringthistimethatcashewtreeswerebroughttoIndiafromBrazil.TheclimateandsoilofcertainregionsinIndiaprovedconducivetothegrowthofcashewtrees,andovertime,Indiabecameasignificantproducerofcashewnuts.

Thecashewtree(Anacardiumoccidentale)isnowcultivatedinvariouspartsofIndia,particularlyinstateslikeKerala,Karnataka,Goa,andMaharashtra.Thenutitselfgrowsoutsidethecashewapple,whichisajuicyfruitthat'salsoconsumedinsomeregions.ThecashewnuthasbecomeanimportantagriculturalproductandexportforIndia.

Today,Vietnamisthelargestcashew-producingcountry.Over65%oftheworld'sexportofcashewkernelsisaccountedforbyVietnam.CashewnutsfromVietnam(Vietnamesecashews)areconsumedinasmanyas90countriesallovertheworld;withmajormarketsbeingtheUnitedStates,theUnitedKingdom,Japan,Netherlands,Australia,Canada,Germany,HongKong,SingaporeNewZealand,andMiddleEastcountries.InVietnam,cashewtreesarepopularinthesouth,especiallyCentralHighlands&Southeastregions,andfewaregrownwest.Also,datasuggeststhatIndiaisthesecond-largestcashew-producingnation.