India GO
Cashew in Goa: from Portuguese import to feni
Anacardium occidentale
Cashew came to Goa with the Portuguese in the sixteenth century and the same tree now gives Goa two things: the nut, and feni, distilled from the juicy cashew apple. In Goa the trees fruit from February to May, and in March and April cashew hillsides turn red and yellow. You can see them up close at Sahakari Spice Farm, on the way up to Chorla Ghat and around the Arvalem waterfall.
Cashew was brought to Goa by the Portuguese in the sixteenth century and is now the base of feni, distilled from the cashew apple between February and May. Feni has a registered geographical indication tied to Goa.
Where to see it
Sahakari Spice Farm
Chorla Ghat · in season
Cashew hillsides colour up in March and April
Arvalem Waterfall & Rudreshwar Caves · in season
👀 How to recognise it
The nut grows outside the fruit, hooked under it — once seen, never mistaken. Cashew hillsides turn red and yellow in March and April.
Where to see cashew trees
The guide records cashew in three places:
- Sahakari Spice Farm, Ponda: a 50-acre spice farm with guided walks, where cashew is common. Guides explain each plant, and the tour includes a demonstration of feni distillation.
- Chorla Ghat: on the road up to the pass, 50–60 km north-east of Panjim, the cashew hillsides colour up in March and April.
- Arvalem Waterfall and Rudreshwar Caves: near Sanquelim, about 30 km inland from Panjim, cashew grows around the falls and the rock-cut caves in season.
A cashew tree is low and spreading, with leathery, round-tipped leaves. When it fruits, the giveaway is the nut hanging outside the fruit, hooked under a fleshy red or yellow cashew apple.
The apple stays in Goa: feni
Cashew nuts are traded far more widely than cashew apples, because the apple bruises easily and has a very short shelf life. In Goa it goes into feni. Distilling runs from late February to mid-May. In the traditional method only ripe apples that have dropped on their own are gathered, de-seeded and trodden in a rock basin called a collmi. The first distillate, urrak, has about 15% alcohol; further distillation gives feni, sold bottled at about 43%.
Cashew feni received a geographical indication in 2009, tying the name to Goa, and in 2016 Goa's excise law named it a heritage spirit.
How a Brazilian tree became Goan
Cashew is native to tropical South America. Portuguese colonists in Brazil were exporting the nuts by the 1550s and carried the tree to Goa between 1560 and 1565; from Goa it spread across Southeast Asia and on to Africa. The English word comes, through Portuguese caju, from the Tupi acajú of Brazil. In 2023 world cashew production was led by Ivory Coast and India. The species itself is described on the cashew page.
Do not crack a raw nut
The shell of the cashew nut contains anacardic acid and related oils, which burn the skin the way poison ivy does, and the raw shell and seed are toxic. The nut is edible only after shelling and roasting or steaming. If you pick one up under a tree, leave the grey shell alone; the apple itself can be eaten. Goa's other plants, from sonki to the matti tree, are on trees and flowers of Goa.
❓ FAQ
When is cashew season in Goa?
The trees fruit from February to May, the hillsides are most colourful in March and April, and feni is distilled from late February to mid-May.
Where can I see cashew trees in Goa?
At Sahakari Spice Farm in Ponda, on the hillsides on the way up to Chorla Ghat, and around the Arvalem waterfall near Sanquelim.
Who brought cashew to Goa?
The Portuguese, from Brazil, between 1560 and 1565.
Can you eat a cashew apple?
Yes. It is juicy and spoils fast, which is why in Goa it is fermented and distilled into feni. The raw nut, by contrast, is toxic until shelled and roasted.