How much do you know about the cashew tree?
February 17 2022 – Eight
Without cashews, Cajuu wouldn't exist.
But without cashew trees, well, what would we do without our delicious creamy nuts?!
The cashew tree is a tropical evergreen tree that the cashew and cashew apple grow from.
Some cashew trees can grow as tall as 14m which is taller than two double decker buses! However for cashew farming specific purposes, the more ideal cashew tree is around 6m as it matures earlier than the taller trees, and yields better produce. The largest cashew tree, known as Cashew of Pirangi, currently resides in Natal, Brazil, covering a whopping area of between 1.8 acres to 2.1 acres, the size of 70 normally sized cashew trees!
Because they grow on trees, this makes cashews a ‘tree nut’, one that less people are allergic to than e.g. peanuts. What makes people allergic to cashews is the proteins found in them and that remain even after cooking.
The cashew tree was originally native to Northeastern Brazil and Southeastern Venezuela, but was later exported around the world in the 1500s by Portuguese explorers, with cashew nut export beginning around 50 years later.
First it was taken to Goa, India between 1560 and 1565 but it spread throughout Southeast Asia, and eventually Africa, ending up closer to our home - Tanzania!
As well as cashews and the apples they grow from, cashew trees also produce small spiral-like flowers. They begin green, then slowly over time transition into a reddish pink, a beautiful visual addition to the tree.
At Cajuu, we're constantly planting more cashew trees to offset our carbon footprint. Like all trees, they produce oxygen for us to breathe, store carbon where excess would make the air unbearable, and stabilize the soil, making it habitable for different wildlife. Our trees are planted, grown and farmed for their cashews in the Makonde Plateau in Tanzania, continuing our heritage and connections to the country and area.
Trees are vital to our existence, and it’s important that we protect and nurture them as much as possible to keep our lives green and our air clean!
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