Mamuanghimaphaan | มะม่วงหิมพานต์ | Anacardium occidentale
Family: Anacardiaceae | Genus: Anacardium
You will find not find many cashew trees in Paksong area, few plantations have them.
The cashew tree is a tropical evergreen tree that produces the cashew seed and the cashew apple. The tree can grow as high as 14 meter, but the dwarf cashew, growing up to 6 meter can be found in the area of Paksong, Ranong and the Koh Phayam island.
The fruit of the cashew tree is an accessory fruit. What appears to be the fruit is an oval or pear-shaped structure, called the cashew apple, It ripens into a yellow or red structure about 5–11 centimeter long. It has a strong "sweet" smell.
The true fruit of the cashew tree is a kidney– or boxing-glove–shaped drupe that grows at the end of the cashew apple. The drupe develops first on the tree, and then the pedicel expands to become the cashew apple.
The true fruit contains a single seed, which is often considered a nut in the culinary sense.
NOTE
Handling plant may cause skin irritation or allergic reaction.
The shell of the nut contains an acrid juice that acts as a powerful vesicant. The active ingredient is cardole and it is poisonous in the same way as poison ivy . Very irritant to the skin, causing severe blistering.
It is destroyed by heat, so roasting the seed whilst in its shell renders it completely safe
Cashew season is February, March and April in Thailand.
THE TREE
The cashew tree is large and evergreen, growing to 14 meter tall, with a short, often irregularly shaped trunk.
THE LEAVES
The leaves are spirally arranged, leathery textured, elliptic to obovate, 4–22 centimteer long and 2–15 centimeter broad, with smooth margins.
THE FLOWERS
The flowers are produced in a panicle up to 26 centimeter long; each flower is small, pale green at first, then turning reddish, with five slender, acute petals 7–15 mm long.
THE FRUIT
The cashew apple is a light reddish to yellow fruit, whose pulp can be processed into a sweet, astringent fruit drink or distilled into liquor.
THE SEED
The cashew seed is often considered a nut in the culinary sense; this cashew nut is eaten on its own, used in recipes, or processed into cashew cheese or cashew butter. Like the tree, the nut is often simply called a cashew.
CULINARY USES
Culinary uses for cashew seeds in snacking and cooking are similar to those for all tree seeds called nuts.
Cashews can be ground into a paste that forms a base of sauces for curries or some sweets.
It can be made into cashew milk, a plant milk alternative dairy milk.
It can be processed in cashew butter, flour
Cashew nuts are also used in Thai cuisine, generally in whole form. Click on the link of the Food Forest Kitchen to find some recipes of dishes you can enjoy when visiting Eco-Logic.
The cashew apple can be eaten fresh, cooked in curries, or fermented into vinegar, as well as an alcoholic drink. It is also used to make preserves, chutneys, and jams in some countries.
Cashew nuts are more widely traded than cashew fruits, because the fruit, unlike the nut, is easily bruised and has a very limited shelf life. Cashew apple juice, however, may be used for manufacturing blended juices.
NUTRITION
Raw cashews are 5% water, 30% carbohydrates, 44% fat, and 18% protein. In a 100 gram reference amount, raw cashews provide 553 Calories, 67%, 36% DV of protein, 13% DV of dietary fiber and 11% DV of carbohydrates. Cashews are rich sources of dietary minerals, including particularly copper, manganese, phosphorus, and magnesium and of thiamin, vitamin B6 and vitamin K. Iron, potassium, zinc, and selenium are present in significant content.
TRADITIONAL MEDICINAL USE
NOTE: please take advice from a doctor if you are planning to use herbal medicine.
As a medicinal plant, the leaves are said to be used as treatment for reducing fever, malaria, toothache, and gum problems.
The bark is used to reduce blood sugar levels and to detoxify snake bites.
Cashew syrup is used as relief from coughs and colds.
Cashew apple juice is believed to be an effective treatment for syphilis, cholera and kidney problems.
The sap or bark extract is used as a contraceptive.
Further, the gum is used to treat leprosy and fungal conditions.
INTO THE WILD: a down to earth experience
For guests and visitors to Paksong we organize weekly tours "The Edible Forest" and Foraging weekends: Into the Wild. We work with local guides to take you in the jungle of Paksong. After foraging, we will cook a meal with the ingredients, using bamboo together with you!
Come and join and learn about the abundance of food that nature gives us!
INTO THE WILD!
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