Cashew

The cashew, an edible nut, is the seed of the tropical American cashew tree, Anacardium Occidentale, which is a member of a large family, Anacardiaceae, of which only a few species (sumac, poison ivy, the smoke tree) are found in the temperature zone. The cashew is a large evergreen tree that reaches height of 9 – 12 m (29 – 39 ft). The leaves are oval and leathery; the rosy-tinted, fragnant flowers grow in clusters at the ends of young branches. The nut is kidney shaped, the size of a large bean, an borne beneath a yellow or orange fruit called a cashew apple. The apple is edible and can be fermented to make wine. The outer covering of the fruit contains an extremely caustic oil that must be burned off before the nut can be touched. The kernels are then boiled or roasted again, and a second shell is recovered.

The cashew tree is indigenous to the West Indies, Central America, Peru, and Brazil. The Portuguese transplanted it to the East Indies as early as the 16^th century, and it was later established on the eastern coast of Africa.

This fruit also have been planted in Indonesia, for many years and have marketed abroad to be a favorite meal. This plant in Indonesia called Jambu Monyet. This Jambu Monyet is harvested only for the bean, not for fruit. Bean is a small part of this fruit so become very expensive meal after treat. These bean then uses for a bread or cake or chocolates candy.