Published: 30 August 2024
For 70s kids, just hearing the word “carob” might send shivers down their spine.
The Seventies wasn’t just the decade of experimentation, disco tunes, lava lamps and shag carpets. It was also an era that saw a rise in the health-conscious movement, with increasing interest in natural foods, alternative diets, and wellness practices. That’s when carob emerged as the next best thing…
As kids dreamed of Willy Wonka chocolate bars, their health-conscious parents were on the lookout for healthier alternatives to traditional sweets and candies.
Advertised as a chocolate substitute, carob promised to satisfy chocolate cravings while being both caffeine-free and low in fat. But let’s face it, carob was never going to fool anyone into thinking it was actual chocolate.
Since then, years have passed, and many people are now speaking out about the unpleasant experiences they had with the dark, earthy pods during their childhood.
“No one under the age of twelve could stand the stuff,” recalls Jonathan Kauffman for The New Yorker.
“Not the candy bars that encased a puck of barely sweetened peanut butter in a thin, waxy brown shell, nor the cookies—whole wheat, honey-sweetened—studded with carob chunks that refused to melt in the mouth, instead caking unpleasantly between the teeth. (…) Even Häagen-Dazs, which débuted in Manhattan, in 1976, stocked a short-lived carob-flavored ice cream.”
There’s no denying that parents at the time had the best intentions when serving these treats to their kids. But Reddit threads still cringe at the mere thought of those carob concoctions…
And yet, while some still recall it as a food trauma, others are now reconsidering carob as a sustainable alternative to cacao. This begs the question: could this long-forgotten food item be gearing up for a comeback? And if so, what exactly does it offer?
Here’s What You Need to Know About Carob
Carob (known in scientific terms as Ceratonia siliqua) is a flowering evergreen tree mainly cultivated for its edible pods.
Carob pods are dark-brown in color with a leathery appearance. The pods enclose a sweet pulp and seeds which contain the locust bean gum. This odorless, tasteless, and colorless thickening agent and stabilizer is widely used in the food industry in products such as frozen desserts, dips, dressings and various baked goods. However, most carob pods are currently being used as livestock feed.
Originally from Western Asia, carob was domesticated and subsequently spread throughout the Mediterranean Basin, eventually reaching the western coasts of the Americas, South Africa, and the southern parts of Australia.
“(…) Arab Moors planted the tree in northern Africa and Spain,” explain authors Murray and Pizzorno in ‘The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods‘.
“Spanish conquistadors carried carob to South America and southern California, and the British took the plant to South Africa, India and Australia. During the nineteenth century, British chemists sold carob pod husks to singers, since chewing them was thought to support the health of the vocal cords by soothing and cleansing the throat.”
Today, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Morocco are among the leading producers of carob beans.
Did you know? Carob was once used by the Arabs as a unit of weight for gold and gemstones, and by the Egyptians as an adhesive in mummy binding. It is also referred to as “Saint John’s bread” as it was previously believed that Saint John The Baptist ate these pods during his desert travels. However, some biblical scholars now argue that he likely consumed migratory locusts instead.
It is also worth noting that this natural sweetener blessed with a caramel-like flavor holds an impressive amount of nutritional properties.
Although fairly poor in vitamin A, B2 and B1, carob powder is rich in dietary fiber and offers a good amount of vitamins E, C, D, as well as several B vitamins, including folic acid (B9) and niacin (B3).
Additionally, it provides a bunch of essential minerals such as copper, phosphorus, calcium, potassium and manganese as well as 17 fatty acids which are important for energy, building cell membranes, and helping cells respond to signals.
Carob is also rich in antioxidants, largely due to its high levels of polyphenols, and hydroxyproline, an amino acid that plays an important role in collagen production.
From no-chocolate brownies to warm and spiced milk beverages, carob can be enjoyed in a variety of sweet treats. Its low-glycemic index helps you feel fuller longer, and its anti-diabetic effects may even benefit those with diabetes by “inhibiting transportation and absorption of intestinal glucose“. Additionally, carob is naturally rich in D-pinitol, a bioactive compound with insulin-like functions.
Did you know? Carob is used in traditional medicine to treat a number of ailments including mouth inflammations, diarrhea, intestinal parasites and heavy menstrual bleeding.
Carob: The Forgotten Crop Worth Rediscovering?
Many factors are currently threatening the future of chocolate. Cocoa prices are reaching record highs and there are growing concerns about a potential cocoa shortage. The industry is also grappling with environmental and ethical issues like deforestation and child labor, along with health concerns over heavy metals such as cadmium.
As a result, discussions about alternatives are gaining momentum, with carob potentially becoming more widely used by the food industry to meet market demands.
In addition to enhancing food security and supporting the local economy in regions like the islands of Cyprus and Crete, the harvesting of the carob tree also has significant environmental importance.
Carob trees are valuable for both reforestation and ecosystem restoration, aiding in biodiversity and soil health. Additionally, they are known for their resilience to climate change. In fact, according to a paper published in 2022 in the journal Foods, “the carob tree is resistant to droughts and salinity, while its deep root systems allow CO2 to sink, mitigating global warming effects.”
Additionally, this underutilized crop is extremely versatile and can be used in a variety of other industries. In fact, it already has “wide applications in adhesives, ceramics, cosmetics, film emulsions, oil drilling, pharmaceuticals, paints, and polishes,” according to Basharat et. al (2023).
Another point in favour of carob in chocolate-making is that, unlike traditional chocolate, it doesn’t require strict temperature control during production. In other words, carob eliminates the need for tempering, making it easier to work with when creating confections like “chocolate” bars.
Nowadays, carob “chocolate” bars are available in many health food stores and specialty shops. You can also make your own sugar-free carob candies at home. These sweet treats are particularly helpful for individuals with chocolate allergies, those avoiding caffeine or theobromine, as well as for people with celiac disease.
Did you know? Carob powder is also used to make superbreads that are gluten-free. Unlike many other gluten-free flours, carob powder contains a protein called caroubin, which helps to improve the structure and strength of the dough.
Cooking With Carob 101
For chefs like Cortney Burns, carob holds many opportunities to discover new culinary avenues. In fact, Burns even experimented with incorporating carob into her house-fermented sodas.
“I love that it was a flavor different from the everyday,” she explains. “It had this depth and earthiness to it that was different from other melty, creamy, chocolaty things. It just made my head go to different places.”
When using carob in beverages, Murray and Pizzorno recommend that you replace each part of cocoa or chocolate with 1½ to 2 parts carob. Additionally, you can make a delicious carob fudge using carob chips in less than 30 minutes!
“In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, combine 6 cups carob chips with 11/2 cups smooth or chunky peanut butter,” they write. “Add 1/2 cup soy milk and stir occasionally until completely melted. Add 1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup diced dates, 1/2 cup slivered almonds, and 1/2 cup shredded coconut. Stir until well combined, let cool slightly, and pour into a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish lined with baker’s parchment or wax paper. Chill until firm. Using the paper lining to help you, remove the fudge and cut into 30 pieces. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until served. It will store in the refrigerator for two weeks or in the freezer for two to three months.”
Did you know? Carob powder can also be used to make delicious and healthy dog treats for your four-legged friends!
While most agree that carob will never match chocolate, chef and best-selling cookbook author Phyllis Glazer has a tip for adding a hint of chocolatey goodness to your chocolate-free treats:
“The trick to getting it to taste just like chocolate is by adding a teaspoon or two of instant coffee (or coffee substitute such as barley- or chicory-based “coffee” powders (…)),” explains Glazer.
Keep in mind that carob is relatively low in fat, so you’ll need to add a fat agent to achieve the rich mouthfeel typically found in conventional chocolate products.
Did you know? Contrary to cacao, carob doesn’t contain any oxalic acid, a plant derived compound known to interfere with calcium absorption.
Many food cultures already embrace carob in their traditional dishes. In Malta, ġulepp tal-ħarrub, a traditional syrup made from carob pods, is not only a go-to remedy for coughs and sore throats but also a beloved ingredient in sweets and desserts.
On the Spanish island of Ibiza, carob is used in a variety of cakes, breads, creams, liqueurs, and chocolates. In fact, throughout Spain, roasted carob seeds are commonly added to coffee for added sweetness and extra health benefits.
You can also find carob pasta in Italy, as well as carob cake and cookies in Greece, particularly on the island of Crete, where the carob tree holds significant symbolism in local folklore.
Carob has already been embraced by some Michelin-starred chefs around the world, including in the Balearic Islands, to reclaim and elevate traditional local cuisine and products.
Concluding Thoughts
It goes without saying that, much like black licorice, carob is a highly polarizing food.
While some argue that carob is a promising and highly sustainable crop that deserves more attention and appreciation, others completely reject the idea of giving it a second chance, let alone allowing it to take over the chocolate aisle.
That being said, with rapid advancements in food science and growing environmental concerns, carob is set for a comeback. This once-overlooked ingredient has untapped potential for innovation that goes well beyond just carob-covered raisins. So, let’s stop comparing it to chocolate and give carob a chance to shine on its own. After all, if we can celebrate kale and quinoa, why not carob?
