Cashews come from the cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale), which is native to northeastern Brazil. The tree produces a fruit called the cashew apple, and the actual cashew nut grows at the bottom of this fruit in a shell that contains toxic substances and must be processed before consumption. While native to Brazil, cashew trees are now mainly cultivated in tropical regions of India, Africa, and Southeast Asia. The cashews consumed worldwide mostly come from countries like India, Ivory Coast, Vietnam, and Brazil.