In Kakoda, South Goa, cashew farmer Agnelo Baretto frantically oversees his collection team. The plantation, dotted with cashew apples, is a melee of colors – red, orange and yellow.

The air breathes in the astringent aroma and the workers move following their noses. Indeed, Come summer and the cashew plantations in Goa are in turmoil as it is harvest time. Nearly 90% of cashew apples in plantations in Goa are crushed to extract a juice which is then fermented and distilled to make the state’s iconic urrak and feni.

But there is more to the cashew apple. Recently, chefs have let their creativity loose on the fruity portion, creating dishes like cashew sorpotel, where chunks of cubed cashew apple replace pork in the traditional dish, using the distinctly astringent flavors of this fruit. Cashew apple chutneys, jams and even a pickle the way a balchaoare other new offerings from Goa.

Goa Tourism Development Corporation (GTDC) has created interesting local events around it to popularize cashew among tourists. Goa’s first cashew festival held in Socorro, Bardez in 2015 had ‘waddo’ ladies cooking and bringing cashew apple dishes including cashew sorpotel . And now hotels are also doing their part, as are home kitchens.

The former Park Hyatt Goa, Cansaulim, held an annual cashew trail showcasing its varied uses. Today, Novotel hotels in Goa have taken over. Through a curated experience, which includes a visit to a cashew plantation, the “Cashew Retreat” highlights the use of the apple in multiple ways, including in food menus.

Chef Alex Dias, Novotel Goa Candolim and Novotel Goa Resort and Spa, says, “Cashew fruits and assorted delicacies have been restricted to locals only. But I strongly believe that the story of the tree and its connection to the culture of Goa is gaining popularity with everyone through these cultural trails.

However, although hotel trails popularize the fruit, the apple does not find favor with too many palates, so it takes creativity to put it on restaurant menus. Chef Abhijit Naik, Executive Sous Chef of Leela Goa, explains, “It’s hard to digest and most people tend to chew it and throw it away. They don’t really eat it. Plus, the strong, distinct aroma probably has a lot to do with it.

Enter the sorpotel

Crescy and Oliver Fernandes are two friends who run The Goan Kitchen in South Goa specializing in Goan cuisine. They offer cashew apple sorbotel in season. Says Oliver, “This dish is rare for many and only made by a few families. Usually, cashew growers make sure that the fruits they supply are ripe, to be used for making neero/ urrack or feni. We both grew up with this seasonal delicacy and as we have a relatively smaller cashew crop (and we don’t feni), we have the freedom to pick half-ripe cashews for sorpotel. We include it in our daily menu whenever we can get a decent harvest from the day’s picking session. »

Apart from the Sorpotel, the legendary chef of Goan cuisine, Urbano Rego, prepares a cashew fruit xacuti, replacing the chicken with the cashew apple.

At home, sprinkled with salt, a slice of cashew apple is eaten to refresh the palate. Vinaya Kalangutkar, a home chef from Corlim, says: “In the homes of Saraswat, seasonal food abounds and therefore, kajuchesasav is made during the summers using the pulpy fruit of the cashew nut, which gives the right texture and sweet, tart flavors of a sav. It is eaten with steamed rice.

Gayathri Pai, another home chef, incorporates cashew apple into her sumali (Konkan spongy dosa) paste, for a hint of acidity. Manjita Bhobe, a housewife, is looking forward to the cashew harvest season to make kajuachi shaak (cashew spinach).

Dr AR Desai, Scientist, ICAR-CCARI, Goa, has recommendations beyond curries: “A rich source of vitamin C, minerals and fiber – many foods can be made from the cashew apple. We have researched and developed several products.Cashew apple crisp, which is a dehydrated flavored candy and easy to prepare, is pleasing to the palate for children.All it needs is a drying machine with an investment negligible, cooking gas and a few utensils.The cashew apple slices are dehydrated then natural flavorings like rock salt, vanilla can be added, to achieve sweet-salty flavors of one’s choice.The whole process only takes five days and people in the villages can become entrepreneurs and easily sell it as a Goan treat to tourists.The jams, made by steaming the cashew apple, for a time, vanish tent of a unique flavor and cashew syrup too, can be useful for making refreshing sorbets in summer. For regular cooking, a cashew vinegar can be made.

He adds, at the end of his list of potentials: “But unfortunately, due to the demand for feni, all other food products take a back seat and the locals do not show much enthusiasm for them.”

tree to table

It takes months for the cashew apple to be ready for cooking. The fruit and nut duo begins its journey around late November or early December, when the flowers appear on the cashew trees. Five months later, the cashew apples, which are actually the receptacle or the thickened stem, are ripe and plump. Simultaneously, the greenish kidney-shaped nut matures and can now be extracted, as it has fully grown and developed a hard cover to protect the edible kernel within.

“The cashew apple is not getting the attention it deserves. It is like the umbilical cord for the nut and nourishes it nutritionally. When it ripens and matures, the apple, let’s start from the nut falling from the tree,” Dr. Desai informs us. He further adds, “The cashew apple is actually a false fruit or pseudo fruit because it grows outside the seed and contains fiber and juice, which are packed with nutrients.

Back on the plantation, Agnelo laments the labor-intensive collection process and expensive labor, which deters most farmers from diversifying into cashew apple food products instead. than the obvious, the feni and the urrak. “The cashew apple is too delicate to handle, perishable and labor intensive. Feni, who is wanted, helps us win, which makes this tedious process interesting, so we focus on that,” he admits.

But the The harvest is rich in abundance, Agnelo reiterates: “Goa offers several varieties of cashew nuts. It is a good idea to have a mixture of scions, as yield and quality differ, and to irrigate three times a year. I have faithfully followed these practices since 1992.”