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THE CHEF ENCYCLOPEDIA:
Culinary Herb & Spice Reference Guide
Carob
(Ceratonia siliqua)
Family: Fabaceae
Carob is native to the eastern Mediterranean, probably the Middle East,
where it has been in cultivation for at least 4000 years. The plant
was well known to the ancient Greeks, who planted carob seeds in Greece
and Italy. There are references to carob in the Bible. The fruit of
carob is a pod, technically a legume 6 to 12 inches long and fairly
thick and broad. Pods are borne on the old stems of the plant on short
flower stalks. Although carob has a slightly different taste than chocolate,
it has only one-third the calories, is virtually fat-free, is rich in
pectin, is nonallergenic, has abundant protein, and has no oxalic acid,
which interferes with absorption of calcium. Consequently, carob flour
is a source of commercial chocolate substitute used in making health
food products and candy bars.
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