Arti Das
In the month of March, Goa’s hillocks, which is where most cashew orchards are found, brim with cashew fruits.
The fruit is collected, separated and then piled on a laterite base, where it is stomped and squeezed to finally yield the refreshing neero.
The process begins by separating the seed from the fruit. This can be a long and tedious process.
After de-seeding, the piles of cashew apples are stomped.
After extracting the juice, a mound is made using the smashed cashew apples.
The mound is then tied with a wild creeper, following which laterite stones are placed on it in order to extract juice from it.
Often, a person stands on these stones in order to put more pressure on them, resulting in more juice oozing out.
The fresh juice, called neero, is collected in a bottle. It doesn’t have a long shelf life and is best consumed within a day.