Cashew Nut

Cashew Nut, the fruit of Anacardium occidental, a large tree belonging to the order Terebinthaceae, and native to the West Indies, though cultivated throughout the tropics. The tree bears clusters of fragrant rose-coloured flowers, which are succeeded by large, fleshy, pear-shaped receptacles bearing kidney-shaped fruits. The latex of the stem dries black, and is used as varnish. A gum known as Cadjii gum, used by South American bookbinders to keep off ants, is exuded; the acid and slightly astringent receptacle is eaten; the mesocarp of the fruit contains a quantity of black, causticly acrid oil, also used to keep off ants; and the kernels, when roasted, are wholesome and agreeable.