Are cashew nuts still all produced in the one country and what happens to the cashew fruits?

RickF

There is a thriving cashew-nut industry in Goa, India. The fruit is made into a particulary potent and corrosive drink called cashew fenni! Oct 28 03, 2:33 AM

harish_256

Cashew-nuts are grown all along the western coast of India, mainly in the states of Goa, Maharashtra and Kerala. The Fenni, however, is a Goan speciality, and a favourite way to get drunk there! I would think the cashew fruits would be disposed of. Cashews belong to the same family as poison-ivy, and contain urushiol oil. Only one-billionth of a gram of urushiol oil is needed to cause a rash! In fact, workers at cashew-plantations in Kerala suffer from rashes at the time of harvest, for this reason. Oct 28 03, 4:33 AM

RickF

As far as I remember - and after a glass or two of the stuff I may be wrong - cashew fenni is made from the fruit (cashew apple) rather than from the nut. If this contains what harish says, no wonder it is so lethal!!! It is also used in some Goan recipes and adds an authentic kick to a vindaloo - pity it's not available in the UK. Oct 28 03, 5:16 AM

harish_256

It seems that north-east Brazil is the native-are of the cashew. I did a search and found that in Africa alone, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Senegal, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Nigeria and Tanzania are "major" cashew-producing nations. A found this on a page about 'em: "The pseudo-fruit is the pulpy part is used. In the form of a juice it has been used as an anti-scorbutic (antiscurvy) due to its high content of vitamin C (up to 20,000 ppm). In cosmetics, it is considered as a rich source of vitamin C, which is the focus of a great deal of research and is indicated as one of the substances capable of capturing free radicals. In addition, the high amount of mineral salts gives cashew fruit skin remineralizing properties. It also has some conditioning activity due to its proteins and mucilage. Besides making great tasting and highly nutrititve snacks and juices, Cashew fruit extracts are also used in body care product. Because of its high amount of vitamin C and mineral salts, cashew fruit is used as coadjutant in the treatment of premature aging of the skin and to remineralize the skin. It is also a good scalp conditioner and tonic, often used in shampoos, lotions and scalp creams." A nice picture of the fruit: http://floridagoa.goacom.com/albums/cashew.jpg Oct 28 03, 5:16 AM

harish_256

RickF, you're right, fenni is made from the fruit! :-) Oct 28 03, 5:18 AM

sequoianoir

I've been to a cashew nut "factory" in Sri Lanka where they are roasted before being shelled by hand. The shells contain very corrosive oils and the ashes from the fires are used by those doing the shelling to neutralise this to a great extent. Sitting or kneeling on the floor, they crack and split the shells, constantly dipping their fingers in a small pile of cold ashes. It is for this reason that they tend to be one of the most expensive nuts to buy. I still have 3 or 4 unshelled nuts as a souvenier. Oct 28 03, 5:38 AM

gmackematix

I had always thought they were mainly produced in Mozambique and were that country's main source of income. However, a quick look in the dictionary reveals that the word "cashew" comes via Portuguese from Tupi, a language spoken in the Amazon valley, supporting Brazil as where the nuts come from. Yays all round then. It would be cashews all round but they are a bit too expensive and too delicious to be giving away. Oct 28 03, 12:12 PM