Carob
Carob, also known as St John’s bread, is a legume that grows on trees around the Mediterranean. When ripe, the pod is dark brown and looks rather like an overripe banana that’s been left far too long in the fruit bowl.
The carob pods, up to 25 centimetres long, are thin and curved and packed with seeds.
According to the Bible, John the Baptist ate the fruit – hence the name St John’s bread, which hints at just how long it has been around.
How is carob used?
Carob comes from the seed pods of the carob tree. These are ground and then dried to make carob powder.
The chocolatey carob powder has a sweet, nutty taste with hints of toffee. It’s used as a substitute for cocoa, in cooking and as a sweetener.
Carob syrup is a thick molasses that’s a little reminiscent of honey.
Our sweet-smelling, honey-like carob molasses is wonderful on a cheeseboard instead of chutney or honey. Drizzle it over your favourite salad as you would balsamic vinegar, or stir it into natural yoghurt at breakfast.
Does the name carob remind you of anything?
In Greek, the carob tree is called keration (in Arabic qirat) – and now perhaps a bell is ringing!
That’s right! The word carat, the unit of weight for diamonds and other gemstones, takes its name from carob.
That’s because the seeds from the pods were used for centuries as counterweights when weighing gold and diamonds. One seed weighs roughly 0.2 grams, which is exactly what one carat equals today.
