Carob is a type of flowering shrub, and a relative of the pea family in the Mediterranean area.
It is grown for its edible seed pods, which are a traditional African food. In various locations around the Mediterranean it is also known as Charoupia, goat's horn, algarrobo, alfarroba or Harruba.
As well as minerals, dietary fibre and vitamins, Carob contains fats and has quite a high sugar content. It was often used as a sweetener and has a good food value. The Carob is highly drought resistant and a reliable cropper and as such is very valuable in arid regions, where its use is recorded in pre-biblical times. Carob posds, dried and roasted, are used after chipping or powdering as an ingredient in cakes and biscuits, and also as a substitute for chocolate. They are also used as an ingredient in syrups, liquers and drinks. Herbally, it is a useful cure for diarrhoea.
Nutrients
Carob seeds, also known as locust beans, were used as a standard for weighing diamonds and gold (as carats); 24 carob seeds equalled the weight of one pure gold Roman coin at the time, so 24 carat gold became the term for pure gold.
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