Is Carob Worth its Weight in Gold?

The Carob/Cacao debate

In amongst the raw chocolate craze is a secret ingredient waiting to be re-discovered.
Carob is sneakily poking its head through the cacao wall and is sure to make a huge comeback. When I jumped onto the rawfood bandwagon in 2004 raw cacao was virtually unknown and carob powder was solely used in desserts and smoothies to add that caramel chocolatey flavour. Once cacao hit the market carob was soon forgotten about and pushed to the back of the pantry.

However raw cacao has been making forum headlines for its side effects as a stimulant. People have reported feeling high after eating raw cacao, addictions and not being able to sleep. Carob doesn’t guarantee a high but it definitely gives you that fuzzy warm satisfied feeling one has after eating something naughty and sweet.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and raw chocolate has reached out to many people, introducing the whole concept of raw food to individuals and helping people to transition to a rawfood diet. I wont deny being a raw chocolate nibbler and before I fell pregnant I often ate it but it is definitely not something I would or could eat everyday now. Once I fell pregnant something inside of me said I shouldn’t eat raw cacao and since then I ditched the cacao and brought in the carob. Cacao is something I now only indulge in as a treat or when I am at festivals and events. On the other hand I use carob powder almost every day and I even feel comfortable adding a little to my 14 month old daughter’s diet without worrying about any side effects.

Why is carob such an asset?

There are many advantages to eating carob therefore if consuming raw cacao concerns you then consider replacing it with ground carob powder.

The taste of Carob pods and ground carob powder has been compared to chocolate because it is sweet, brown in colour and similar to taste however really it is quite unique in flavour, I would describe it as more of a rich caramel flavour.

Carob is naturally sweet requiring less sweetener in recipes, and unlike cacao it contains no caffeine or any other addictive substances.

Carob boasts a sufficient quantity of B vitamins, vitamin A, calcium, potassium, magnesium and trace minerals iron, manganese, chromium, copper, and nickel. It also contains approximately 8% protein all 9 essential amino acids and is a good source of fibre. There is twice as much calcium in carob compared to milk and in contrast to cacao there is three times more calcium, and less fat, sugar and calories.

Carob is also known for its therapeutic effects on diarrhoea, and has been known to help with nausea, vomiting, and upset stomachs.

Carob Facts & History

The evergreen carob tree (Latin name = Ceratonia Siliqua) although very large at 7-10 meters high is actually a shrub and has been around for over 4000 years.

Carob is native to the Mediterranean and is a resilient drought resistant tree which tolerates hot and humid coastal areas. Hence why it grows well in warm temperate and subtropical weather like that in many parts of Europe, Egypt, Turkey and parts of America.
The fruit is by nature an organic product, as the trees are usually grown in the wild with the minimum human interference in terms of cultivation practices.
Our carob comes from Italy and is certified organic to guarantee no chemical interference.

After six to eight years of growth a carob tree starts to bear fruit (carob pods) and after twelve years it can easily yield 50kg of pods a year increasing to an average of 100kg to 125kg over the years. Carob trees can continue to yield pods for 100 years.

Average pods are reddish-dark brown in colour, and about 15 cm in length, they are slightly curved and flat and contain very hard seeds which are not edible but have their uses.

Carob has been consumed since ancient times. The earliest use of carob by the Egyptians, Greeks and the Romans was of course eating the pods raw straight from the tree.

The Egyptians also crushed the pods to produce a very thirst quenching drink widely enjoyed during Ramaddan. It is said that most Egyptian Kings had representatives in Cyprus to collect only the best carob pods to be sent to Egypt to be turned into this drink due to its healing qualities on the digestive system.

The Egyptians also extracted a gum from the seeds (LBG- Locust Bean Gum also known as CBG – Carob Bean Gum) to produce a liquid which they widely used in the mummification of their dead.

LBG is still used today as a thickener, emulsifier or stabilizer for many everyday products such as food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetic preparations.

Carob is also referenced in the Bible. It is said that while St. John the Baptist was in the dessert he sustained himself for long periods of time on the nutrition of the carob fruit, thus the pods are also referred to as St. John’s Bread.

Other uses of carob in the past were as a source of sugar before sugarcane and sugar beets became widely available. During wartime to sustain soldiers. And to feed livestock when other food sources were scarce.

Also due to the uniform weight (0.015grams) of the hard carob seeds found inside the pods gold merchants used them as a measure of weight. The word carat comes from the word Ceratonia Siliqua, the scientific name for the carob tree, it still today represents the value of gold as measured by its weight (0.015grams).

To purchase quality raw organic carob powder from Italy click here.