acaju
acaju
Tupi via Portuguese
“The Brazilian nut that hangs from a fake fruit — named in Tupi.”
Cashew comes from Tupi acaju, via Portuguese caju. It names both the tree and its strange fruit: a kidney-shaped nut hanging below a swollen fruit-like stem.
The 'cashew apple' (the swollen stem) is actually eaten more than the nut in Brazil. The nut requires processing — its shell contains irritating oil related to poison ivy.
Portuguese traders spread cashews across their empire. Now Vietnam and India are the largest producers, far from the Brazilian homeland.
The Tupi word for a uniquely American plant now names a global snack.
Related Words
Today
Cashews are now ubiquitous, but few know the Tupi origin or the strange fruit they grow from.
The Brazilian tree colonized the tropics. The Tupi word traveled with it.
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