ABSTRACT
The cashew or cashew nut is a tropical evergreen tree, sometimes growing higher than 12 m (40 ft.), but usually shorter. The plant is notable for its bushy, spreading branches and its leathery leaves. The cashew is native to tropical America and probably originated in northeastern Brazil. It was domesticated long before the arrival of Europeans at the end of the fteenth century. The tree and its nuts and fruit had been used for centuries by indigenous tribes as food and medicine. Although the cashew has a long history as a useful plant, it did not become an important tropical crop until the twentieth century. About 400 years ago, the Portuguese brought it from Brazil to Goa in India and subsequently to their colonies in Africa. India is now the world’s chief source of cashews. Considerable amounts are also produced in Mozambique, Tanzania, and Brazil. Many other Asian, African, Caribbean, and South American countries produce and export smaller amounts of cashews. The United States is the largest importer of cashew nuts. Cashew nut has been called “a poor man’s crop but a rich man’s food” because it is often too expensive for the workers producing it.
