A cashew apple is the fruit that grows on the cashew plant, which tends to be more well known for the nuts that grow on it. The cashew nut actually grows first inside of a kernel, which then develops a small yellow or red fruit. It is originally native to Brazil but also grows wild throughout warm climates, especially in South America, Central America and East Africa. Cashew apples tend to spoil quickly, often in less than a day at room temperature, and are mainly consumed in the areas were they grow. The nuts of the plant can more easily be exported throughout the world.
More about cashew apples:
- Cashew apples are stomped by foot for the juice to make feni, a type of distilled liquor that is a specialty exclusive to Goa, India.
- Portuguese traders originally introduced the cashew tree to India and Mozambique in the 1500s, not for its fruit or nuts, but as a way to reduce coastal erosion as a soil retainer.
- In Brazil and Cuba, the juice of the cashew apple is sold as a remedy for sore throats.