What Are Cashews In Spanish? | Four Words You’ll Hear Most

In Spanish, cashews are usually called anacardos; in much of Latin America you’ll also hear marañón, merey, or cajuil.

You’ll run into this nut all over: snack mixes, vegan sauces, ice cream bases, curry pastes, and bakery fillings. Yet the name on a menu in Madrid can look different from the label in San José or Santo Domingo. If you’ve ever searched “What Are Cashews In Spanish?” while staring at a grocery shelf, this article gives you the exact words locals use, plus the small details that help you sound natural.

By the end, you’ll know which term fits Spain, which ones show up across Latin America, how to say them out loud, and what to ask for at a store, a bar, or a restaurant without getting blank stares.

Cashew In Spanish: The Standard Term And What It Means

Across Spain and in many dictionaries, the most standard term is anacardo (plural: anacardos). The Real Academia Española lists anacardo as both the tree and the edible fruit/seed, which is why you’ll see it on packaged nuts and in more formal writing. RAE’s “anacardo” entry is a handy reference when you want a dictionary-backed term.

In day-to-day talk, people often shorten the whole question to a quick ask: “¿Tienen anacardos?” (Do you have cashews?) or “Quiero anacardos tostados” (I want roasted cashews). If you learn only one word, learn anacardo. It travels well.

How To Pronounce Anacardo Without Guesswork

Break it into four beats: a-na-CAR-do. The stress lands on car. In most accents, the c sounds like a hard “k” before a and o, so you get “ah-nah-KAR-doh.”

Two quick tips help it sound clean:

• Keep the first a open, like “ah,” not “uh.”
• Don’t drag the final o; Spanish endings are short.

Regional Names You’ll See On Menus And Packages

Spanish is shared by many countries, so food names shift by region. Cashews are a classic case. In much of Central America and parts of South America, marañón is common. In Puerto Rico, Colombia, and Venezuela, you may hear merey. In the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, cajuil shows up, too. These aren’t slangy one-offs; they’re established regional words documented by academic sources.

The RAE’s dictionary includes a detailed entry for marañón, describing the tree and the nut-like fruit, and it even lists related regional terms. RAE’s “marañón” entry is useful when you want to confirm that the word refers to the cashew tree and its fruit in Caribbean and American contexts.

For regional labels, ASALE’s Diccionario de americanismos is even more direct. It records merey as a regional term tied to marañón, including the seed. ASALE’s “merey” entry shows where that word is used. The same dictionary lists cajuil as another regional name for the marañón tree and fruit. ASALE’s “cajuil” entry covers that usage.

Why One Nut Gets Several Names

Cashew isn’t just a kernel in a bag. The plant has a tree, a nut shell with irritating oils, and a fleshy “apple” above it in the tropics. Regions that grow the plant often develop their own daily name for the whole thing, then extend that name to the seed people roast and eat. Regions that mostly import the kernel tend to stick with the dictionary term anacardo.

Quick Regional Map In Plain Words

If you’re traveling, cooking from Latin American recipes, or buying imported snacks, this rough map keeps you oriented:

• Spain: anacardo(s) is the safest pick.
• Central America: marañón is common, and anacardo may appear on nutrition labels.
• Caribbean: marañón appears, plus merey and cajuil in several places.
• Pan-regional labels: you’ll sometimes see “anacardo (marañón)” to cover more readers at once.

What Are Cashews In Spanish? The Words And Where They Fit

Here’s the quick way to match the word to the place you’re reading or speaking. Use the left column as your go-to, then check the notes when you want to mirror a local habit.

Spanish Term	Where You’ll Hear It	How It’s Used In Real Life
Anacardo / Anacardos	Spain; many packaged products across the Spanish-speaking world	Common label term for the edible kernel; fits menus and recipes with no regional signal.
Marañón	Caribbean; Central America; parts of northern South America	Often refers to the tree or fruit; in food talk it can stand for the roasted kernel.
Merey	Puerto Rico, Colombia, Venezuela (varies by city and family)	Market term linked to marañón; you may see it on homemade sweets and juices.
Cajuil	Dominican Republic; Puerto Rico; Ecuador; Bolivia (as recorded in regional sources)	Regional name for the tree and its fruit; sometimes used for the nut in casual speech.
Semilla De Marañón	Recipe writing and grocery descriptions	Clear when a writer wants to stress “kernel/seed” rather than the whole fruit.
Nuez De Marañón	Menus, especially when pairing with other nuts	A natural “nut” phrasing that reads well next to almendra, nuez, or avellana.
Anacardo Tostado / Salado	Snack aisles and bar menus	Useful add-ons that tell you what you’re getting: roasted, salted, spiced.
Crema De Anacardo	Vegan cooking and desserts	Used for cashew cream, sauces, and bases for dairy-free fillings.

How To Use The Right Word When You’re Ordering Food

Knowing the noun is step one. Step two is using it in a sentence that matches the setting. In many places, the simplest line is best. You don’t need fancy grammar; you need clarity and a friendly tone.

At A Grocery Store Or Market

Try these lines as-is:

• “¿Dónde están los anacardos?”
• “¿Tienen anacardos sin sal?”
• “Busco marañón, el fruto seco.”

If the clerk answers with a different term, mirror it. If they say “marañón,” you can reply “Sí, eso, marañón.” That small echo keeps the exchange smooth.

At A Bar, Tapas Spot, Or Coffee Shop

Cashews often appear in mixes. Ask for the mix first, then confirm what’s inside:

• “¿Qué lleva la mezcla de frutos secos?”
• “¿Tiene anacardos?”
• “Si no, ¿tienen almendras?”

In A Restaurant Dish Description

On menus, cashews tend to show up as a crunch factor in salads, as a sauce base, or as a garnish on rice and curries. Words that often sit near them include tostado (roasted), triturado (crushed), and crema (cream). If you see “crema de anacardo,” expect a smooth sauce rather than whole nuts.

Common Mix-Ups: Cashews Vs. Similar Words

Spanish has several nut words that look alike at a glance. Two mix-ups happen a lot with English speakers.

Anacardo Vs. Almendra Vs. Nueces

Almendra is almond. Nuez is walnut, and nueces is the plural. Cashews are neither. If you’re reading a label with a long list, scan for anacardo first. If you spot almendra, you’re in almond territory.

Marañón As A Fruit, Not Just A Nut

In tropical regions, marañón can mean the whole fruit, including the juicy apple part that sits above the shell. A juice stand might sell jugo de marañón that has nothing to do with roasted kernels. Context tells you which meaning is intended: a beverage points to the fruit; a snack mix points to the nut.

Reading Ingredients Labels Like A Local

Packaged foods often list allergens and cross-contact warnings. Cashews are tree nuts, so they’re frequently grouped under frutos de cáscara or frutos secos depending on the region and the labeling style.

Look for these patterns:

• “Contiene anacardos” or “contiene marañón”: the product includes cashews.
• “Puede contener”: produced in a place that handles other allergens.
• “Trazas”: trace amounts, often used in allergy notes.

If you cook for someone with a nut allergy, treat any unknown regional term as a red flag until you verify it. When you’re unsure, choose products that list allergens clearly in bold or in a separate allergen line.

Phrase Bank For Shopping, Cooking, And Travel

This table gives you ready-to-say lines. Copy them into your notes app before a trip, or keep them on hand when you’re translating recipes.

English	Spanish	When It Helps
Cashew / cashews	Anacardo / anacardos	Works in Spain and fits most labels.
Cashew (regional)	Marañón	Useful in Central America and the Caribbean.
Cashew, unsalted	Anacardos sin sal	Snack aisle, bar menu, hotel mini shop.
Roasted cashews	Anacardos tostados	When you want crunch and deeper flavor.
Cashew cream	Crema de anacardo	Vegan sauces, soups, desserts.
Ground cashews	Anacardos molidos	Baking, coatings, thickening sauces.
Does this have cashews?	¿Esto tiene anacardos?	Restaurants and packaged foods.
I’m allergic to cashews	Soy alérgico/a a los anacardos	Clear warning for staff; swap anacardos for marañón if that’s the local term.

Cashews In Spanish Recipes: What Authors Mean

When a Spanish recipe says anacardos, it nearly always means the shelled kernel you buy in a bag. When it says marañón, check the rest of the recipe. If the dish includes blending, soaking, or making a cream, it’s the kernel. If it mentions juice, pulp, or fermentation, it may mean the cashew apple.

Common Recipe Verbs You’ll See Next To Cashews

• Remojar: soak (often used before blending cashews for sauces).
• Triturar: crush or blitz.
• Licuar: blend.
• Dorar: brown lightly in a pan.

If you’re translating from English, “cashew butter” is usually mantequilla de anacardo or crema de anacardo, depending on thickness. Spanish labels vary, so scan the ingredient list to see whether it’s pure cashew or mixed with oils and sugar.

Mini Cheat Sheet For The Fast, Confident Choice

If you just want one safe word, pick anacardos. If you’re reading a Latin American recipe or shopping in a region that grows the plant, marañón may appear more often. If someone says merey or cajuil, they’re still talking about the same plant family and the same snack kernel, just through a local label.

One last trick: when you’re uncertain, pair the word with context. “Anacardos, el fruto seco” or “marañón, la semilla” clears up the meaning fast and keeps the conversation friendly.