OIL & OLEAGINOUS

Cashew, (Anacardium occidentale), cultivated for its characteristically curved edible seeds, which are commonly called cashew “nuts” though they are not true nuts. The domesticated cashew tree is native to the New World but commercially cultivated mainly in Brazil and India. The seeds, rich in oil and distinctively flavoured, are commonly used in South and Southeast Asian cuisine and are a characteristic ingredient of numerous chicken and vegetarian dishes of southern India. In Western countries they are eaten mainly as a premium-quality protein-rich snack food.

India and Vietnam are the two largest single producers of cashew nuts, and the main suppliers of the world and European market. However Africa is the epicenter of the tree as three of the biggest exporters including Côte d’Ivoire, Tanzania and Nigeria come from the West and East African coasts.