Cashew Tree (Anacardium Occidentale)

Cashew Tree

Hindi Name: Kaju

Sanskrit Name: Kajutakh

Botanical Name: Anacardium Occidentale

Cashew is a medium-size tree & belongs to the Cashew family. Cashew tree belongs to the Central America region. In today’s time, cashew is grown in many parts of the world. Even India is a big producer of cashews. Cashew is used worldwide in sweets, icecreams, desserts, chocolates & many other recipes. Cashew tree is an evergreen tropical tree. Cashew nut is a high valued dry fruit.

Cashew tree goes to a height of forty feer, & diameter ten to twelve inches. Cashew tree spreads in diameter of fifteen feet. Its leaves are green & wide in size with a leathery touch. Cashew tree can give fruits up to the age of twenty-five to thirty years.  

Cashew tree shapes are always unusual & with uneven branches. Cashew is closer to shrub than a tree.

Cashew grows well in fertile soil, & humid climate is preferred for the cashew cultivation. Well-drained sandy loamy soil is considered good for the cashews.

It’s a good idea to grow a tree with seed. Cashew seed germinates within six to seven days & the plant grows into a tree within two to three years. Within in eight years of germination, tree achieves the full fruit-bearing capacity.  You can grow the cashew tree by grafting as well.

Cashew tree leaves are obovate in shape, & eight inches long & six inches wide with plain margins. The cashew tree leaves grow spirally on the branches. If cashew leaves are boiled in water & consumed it relives away from body ache. 

Cashew flowers are small in size & green in colour when bloom & turn red later on. Cashew flowers bloom in bunches thus fruits too develop in bunches only. The flowers have five to six petals. The flowers are small in sizes & have a sweet fragrance in it. Cashew grows in two parts – cashew apple & below that the cashew nut.

Cashew apple is used to make Vinegar & alcoholic drinks. Cashew apple resembles like pear & have red & yellow colours. Fruit tastes sweet-tart. Cashew fruit is a good source of iron & calcium. It is rich in antioxidants & boosts immunity. 

Cashew tree bark has astringent properties its relieves from sore throat & mouth ulcers.

Cashew nuts are used widely across the globe in various types of recipes, chocolates & desserts. In Goa, the cashews are used to make a local alcohol drink named ‘Fenny”. It is very famous in Goa.

Cashew has a bucket full of benefits, Cashew is good for skin, protects eyesight loss, a good source of fibre, enhance good cholesterol. A hand full of cashews keeps you going throughout the day. Zinc present in the cashews enhances fertility in men.

In northern-eastern states, cashew milk curry is used to make various dishes. Its creamy textures taste great. Cashew nuts have a good commercial return.

In India Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamilnadu & West Bengalore the region where cashew farming is done.