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Cashew (Anacardium occidentale)

Jambu monyet or mete or cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale) is a species of plant in Anacardiaceae where receptaculum balloons and fruit can be eaten. Medium-sized tree, up to 12 m tall, wide canopy, has many branches and always green.

A. occidentale has a high canopy and is narrow or low and widens depending on environmental conditions. The leaves are located at the end of the twigs, stem-stemmed, egg-shaped upside down, most have a tapered base and ends rounded, curved inward, bare and 8-22x5-13 cm.

Dlium Cashew (Anacardium occidentale)

Cashew is a monoesis, androgynous flowers, collected in a smooth panicle with fine hair and 15-25 cm wide. Hairy petals and 4-5 mm. Pointy crown, 1 cm, white to red and hairy. The fruit is dark brown, bent and 3 cm high.

Jambu monyet is mainly cultivated for receptaculum balloons which expand after fertilization which is often referred to as "fruit". This pseudo fruit is a soft part that is swollen and yellow or red.

Receptaculum is sometimes sold on the market as "fresh fruit" for sour taste. Further processing produces a sweet taste as syrup or fermented for alcoholic drinks. The untreated receptaculum is used as animal feed.

The true fruit is actually a hard part, blackish brown and contains seeds that can be processed into delicious snacks that are often referred to as "nuts" (as the kernel) called mete.

Mete is surrounded by a double shell that secretes urushiol sap which can cause irritation to the skin. Some people are allergic, but actually rarely cause allergies in humans when compared with nuts.



Mete is usually fried as a snack when drinking tea or coffee, chocolate fillers and decorations of cakes. Mete husk is used for poultry feed. A type of oil extract is also produced from shells for various industries as cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL) or cashew shell oil (CAS).

Raw nuts are 5% water, 30% carbohydrates, 44% fat, and 18% protein (table). In a 100 gram provide 553 calories, 67% DV total fats, 36% DV of protein, 13% DV dietary fiber and 11% DV carbohydrates. Rich sources including particularly copper, manganese, phosphorus and magnesium (79-110% DV); thiamin, vitamin B6 and vitamin K (32-37% DV); iron, potassium, zinc, and selenium (14-61% DV). In 100 grams raw contain 1.74 gr) of beta-sitosterol.

Young leaves are preferred as raw or cooked vegetables. Old leaves are used to treat skin rashes. All parts of the tree can be used for traditional medicinal herbs, especially for curing skin aches, mouth cleansers and laxatives.

The wood is light brown, of low value and rarely used, generally as firewood and low-quality tooling. The sap from the stems and hardened in the open air is called gum for book adhesive and plywood, also preventing termites.

Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Sapindales
Family: Anacardiaceae
Genus: Anacardium
Species: A. occidentale

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