The cashew tree is an evergreen shrub native to South America and it produces the cashew seed (nut) and cashew apple. It's botanical name is Anacardium occidentale. Its nuts are what made this tree very popular around the world, but more than only the nuts of the cashew tree are being used. It's a tropical tree and very easy to grow.
Cashew tree
Commonly the seeds are called cashew “nuts” though they are not true nuts. The seeds, rich in oil and distinctively flavored, 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. In South Asian cuisine, the nuts are used whole for garnishing sweets or curries, or ground into a paste that forms a base of sauces for curries (e.g., korma), or some sweets (e.g., kaju barfi). It is also used in powdered form in the preparation of several Indian sweets and desserts.
In Goan cuisine, both roasted and raw kernels are used whole for making curries and sweets. Cashews are also used in Sri Lankan, Thai and Chinese cuisines, generally in whole form. In the 21st century, cashew cultivation increased in several African countries (since 2014, Ivory coast is the largest producer worldwide of cashew) to meet the demands for manufacturing cashew milk, a plant milk alternative to dairy milk.
Other applications
The cashew tree produces wood that is useful in local economies for such practical items as shipping crates, boats, and charcoal as well as for a gum that is similar to gum arabic, used as a water-proofing agent in varnishes, cements and as a lubricant or timber seal..
There is a caustic liquid within the shells of the cashew tree fruit/seed (so be careful when handling) that is used as an insecticide and in the production of plastics, coatings and frictional materials. It also is important in traditional medicines.
The mature cashew apple can be eaten fresh, cooked in curries, is used locally in beverages, jams, and jellies and chutneys. In the Indian state of Goa, they even make a alcoholic beverage of the fermented fruit called Feni (40% alcohol), or a single distilled version called Urrak with 15% alcohol.
In Tanzania they make a strong liquor called Gongo. Cashew nut oil is a dark yellow oil, and is used for cooking or as a salad dressing. Discarded cashew nuts unfit for human consumption, alongside the residues of oil extraction from cashew kernels, can be used to feed livestock. Animals can also eat the leaves of cashew trees.