Flora and Fauna of Benin: The Cashew Tree

Sure, you've eaten cashews before, but do you have any idea where those cashews come from? Maybe from Benin! Cashews are one of Benin's top exports, so cashew trees are abundant here. By February, the trees are full of bright red or yellow cashew apples, a juicy fruit that is abundant in Beninese markets at that time of year.

Cashews, however, are nowhere to be seen. Besides being exorbitantly expensive for the typical Beninese budget, they are generally processed outside of the country. Part of the processing entails removing the toxic shell that encloses the cashew nut. Much, if not most, of Beninese cashew nuts are sent to India for processing. The processed nuts are then either consumed in India, where cashews are commonly used in cooking, or shipped to North America or Europe to be sold. Only recently, some Americans opened a cashew processing plant in Benin. However, this plant produces inferior red cashews, not the white cashews we are all used to eating.


The next time you are enjoying a handful of cashews, think of the other cashew tree product that you are missing: cashew apples. Want to try some? Just hop a flight to Benin next winter. I am sure you wouldn't mind escaping the cold.

Cashew apples

A cashew tree. Look closely and you can see the red cashew apples.