Ever wondered where the cashew, which we relish as a snack, to embellish our upma and pongal or add richness to gravies, comes from? Or, how many stages the nuts go through before they reach the stores? There’s a whole lot of work that goes on behind the scenes before you pack home roasted, unroasted, salted, unsalted, and flavoured cashew. And that’s when I decided to take up a cashew trail in Goa, the country’s most popular destination for cashew and its derivative — the delicately flavoured, intensely aromatic feni.
April and Goa isn’t a good idea, but the hot and humid weather was made worthwhile by the trail, which covered the journey of the cashew, from its genesis as a cashew apple to a delectable nut that has varied uses across cuisines. The trail involved visiting a cashew farm and getting your hands and feet dirty in the process of making your own unsalted roasted cashew, and starting the process of making feni.
At the farm, cashew apples of all hues beckoned. We got a quick lesson on identifying ripe apples — anything that is not green in colour is ready for harvest.
Fruit and nut
After harvesting the apples, there’s a crash course on separating the nut from the fruit. It’s here that you learn how deceptive appearances are — while it looks like the cashew dangles precariously from the apple, in reality, you’ve to almost wrench it out.
“Hold the cashew apple and twist the nut,” says a farmer. The apple is slippery and has a smooth peel. Once fully ripe, it turns sticky and juicy; its fragrance is a mild cross between an overripe banana and jackfruit. The air is scented by cashew fruit, and if you follow your nose, it will eventually lead you to a tree heavy with fruit.
Cashew apple is an acquired taste. To make it edible, sprinkle salt. But, it’s a great palate cleanser and leaves your mouth feeling fresh for hours.
Cashew stomping after separating the cashew nut from the cashew apple
The nuts and apples are collected in separate tubs, and the apple is squished and stomped to extract and collect the juicy, stringy pulp — on contact with clothes, the juice can leave a permanent stain. This juice is later fermented and distilled in earthen pots at a temperate of 200 degrees Celcius to derive urak . The locals here believe it tastes best with Limca; a tad tastier than mojito. A trick to make it better is to drop a leaf of the ‘All Spice’ tree into the glass before making the drink. As the urak and Limca is poured over the leaf, it adds a mild spicy aroma.
The nuts are sun and air-dried and then roasted on fire. The pan on which cashew is roasted has perforations; these help the heat sear the hard shell. The shells, which are rich in oil, glow a golden red when the fire touches them. They are akin to a clay case, absorbing heat and helping the nut inside roast. The smell of cashew being roasted is addictive; the oil crackles as it comes into contact with heat and sends up fragrant smoke.
The shell burns for roughly a minute, before the heat is doused by toppling the nuts on sand. The burnt shells, which resemble charcoal, are cracked open using a machine. Traditionally, all it takes, is a gentle blow using a stone. Once the shells are opened, the roasted nuts pop out. Cool them for a bit, and you get crunchy cashew nuts.
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Park Hyatt Goa Resort and Spa organises the trail every year. It is a week-long festivity with many activities for guests. A major part of it involves activities for children and mothers. Guests are taken to cashew farms, and they can choose what activity they want to be part of.
