Day 101 of 365 Things to Do in Panama

Day 101 of 365 Things to Do in Panama. Chew on some Cashews!

Panama is a great place to grow cashews. This time of year, you can walk outside and pick them off the trees, buy them in bags alongside the highway or see them smashed on the road (no need to stop and eat those).

Cashews grow on trees, just like walnuts and almonds, and appear hanging below the fruit of the tree (actually a pseudo-fruit called the cashew apple or marañon) instead of being inside of the fruit or part of the root.

The process of getting the cashew from the tree into an edible form is quite labor intensive – which explains why cashews are rather expensive. Because of all the toxins of the outer shell, the caahews are actually roasted outdoors. When the seeds changes from greenish-grey to a dark brown, they are cracked open and the delicious cashew is found inside for you to savor!