This document provides an introduction to Cascading, an open-source data processing framework for Apache Hadoop. It discusses what Cascading is used for, including ETL, data normalization, machine learning, and more. It also provides examples of Cascading code in Java, Scala, and Clojure for performing a word count task on Hadoop. The document outlines key features of Cascading like its Java API, ability to work with multiple languages, and use of topology definitions to optimize jobs.