The Cashew Festival takes place annually during the first weekend of May. The festival celebrates the beginning of the cashew nut harvest in Crooked Tree Village.
The unique nut has always contributed to the community’s economy, especially for its women, who have been able to secure additional income for their households by selling cashew products. The situation is even better today, as the product is more often sold directly to local consumers and tourists than to distributors in Belize City, as it was in the past.
The cashew tree provides fruit as well as nuts. These succulent, very sweet and juicy fruits are made into jam, wine, vinegar, preserves and even pastries. The nuts themselves grow on the outside of the fruit and have to be carefully cooked for hours before they are palatable, which is why they tend to be so expensive elsewhere.
Apart from sampling the cashews and cashew foods, the festival also features storytelling and live music.