Cashew Nuts of Palawan

Wednesday, 15 July 2009 08:00
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cashew nuts

Cashew was probably introduced in Palawan during the Spanish Colonial period when trade and commerce was then flourishing between Spain and its colonies in Mexico, South America and East Asia notably the Philippines. It is widely believed that cashew which is native to Brazil and the South Americas were brought by early merchants using the Galleon trade in the 1800’s.

Cashew must have spread in Palawan from Cuyo, one of the oldest towns, where an early Spanish settlement left not just cashew but remarkable cultural and religious influences. It is Cuyo where traditional processing of cashew is still practiced and some of the traditional cashew food products can still be found.

At present, cashew is one of the important crops in Palawan after rice, corn, and coconut. In 2004, an estimated 24,300 ha in Palawan is planted to cashew with an estimated production volume of 106,000 metric tons (apple and nut).

Cashew nut meat is also a good antidote for irritant poisons. The kernel has aphrodisiac qualities, is an excellent nerve tonic and is capable of stabilizing cholesterol level while serving as stimulant and body builder. Cashew juice, proven to be effective for stomach disorder, vomiting, sore throat, tooth ache, fever, muscular pain lowering of blood pressure and insomnia, can also be fermented to produce wine. It also boasts of high nutritive value having ascorbic acid content 5 times higher than citrus fruits; other by-products of the cashew plant also find useful applications, the nut shell is used in polymer based industries like paints, varnishes and resins, the bark is used in the tanning industry, while the wood is utilized in the construction of boasts and ferries.