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The carob ( ; ''Ceratonia siliqua'') is a flowering evergreen tree or shrub in the
Caesalpinioideae Caesalpinioideae is a botanical name at the rank of subfamily, placed in the large family Fabaceae or Leguminosae. Its name is formed from the generic name ''Caesalpinia''. It is known also as the peacock flower subfamily. The Caesalpinioideae ...
sub-family of the
legume A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...
family,
Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...
. It is widely cultivated for its edible fruit pods, and as an
ornamental tree Ornamental plants or garden plants are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars that i ...
in gardens and landscapes. The carob tree is native to the Mediterranean region and the Middle East. Portugal is the largest producer of carob, followed by Italy and Morocco. In the
Mediterranean Basin In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin (; also known as the Mediterranean Region or sometimes Mediterranea) is the region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have mostly a Mediterranean climate, with mild to cool, rainy winters and w ...
, extended to the southern Atlantic coast of Portugal (i.e. the Algarve region) and the Atlantic northwestern Moroccan coast, carob pods were often used as animal feed and in times of
famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, Demographic trap, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an Financial crisis, economic catastrophe or government policies. Th ...
, as "the last source of umanfood in hard times". The ripe, dried, and sometimes toasted pod is often ground into carob powder, which was sometimes used as an ersatz
cocoa powder Cocoa may refer to: Chocolate * Chocolate * ''Theobroma cacao'', the cocoa tree * Cocoa bean, seed of ''Theobroma cacao'' * Chocolate liquor, or cocoa liquor, pure, liquid chocolate extracted from the cocoa bean, including both cocoa butter and ...
, especially in the 1970s natural food movement. The powder and chips can be used as a chocolate alternative in most recipes.


Description

The carob tree grows up to tall. The crown is broad and semispherical, supported by a thick trunk with rough brown bark and sturdy branches. Its
leaves A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
are long, alternate, pinnate, and may or may not have a terminal leaflet. It is frost-tolerant to roughly . Most carob trees are
dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...
and some are hermaphroditic, so strictly male trees do not produce fruit. When the trees blossom in autumn, the flowers are small and numerous, spirally arranged along the inflorescence axis in
catkin A catkin or ament is a slim, cylindrical flower cluster (a spike), with inconspicuous or no petals, usually wind-pollinated (anemophilous) but sometimes insect-pollinated (as in ''Salix''). They contain many, usually unisexual flowers, arranged cl ...
-like
raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...
s borne on spurs from old wood and even on the trunk (
cauliflory Cauliflory is a botanical term referring to plants that flower and fruit from their main stems or woody trunks, rather than from new growth and shoots. This can allow trees to be pollinated or have their seeds dispersed by animals that climb o ...
); they are pollinated by both wind and insects. The male flowers smell like human semen, an odor that is caused in part by amines. The fruit is a
legume A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...
(also known commonly, but less accurately, as a ''
pod Pod or POD may refer to: Biology * Pod (fruit), a type of fruit of a flowering plant * Husk or pod of a legume * Pod of whales or other marine mammals * "-pod", a suffix meaning "foot" used in taxonomy Electronics and computing * Proper ort ...
''), that is elongated, compressed, straight, or curved, and thickened at the sutures. The pods take a full year to develop and ripen. When the sweet, ripe pods eventually fall to the ground, they are eaten by various mammals, such as swine, thereby dispersing the hard inner seed in the excrement. The seeds of the carob tree contain
leucodelphinidin Leucodelphinidin is a colorless chemical compound related to leucoanthocyanidins. It can be found in '' Acacia auriculiformis'', in the bark of Karada ('' Cleistanthus collinus'') and in the kino (gum) from ''Eucalyptus pilularis''. Other species ...
, a colourless
flavanol Flavan-3-ols (sometimes referred to as flavanols) are a subgroup of flavonoids. They are derivatives of flavans that possess a 2-phenyl-3,4-dihydro-2''H''-chromen-3-ol skeleton. Flavan-3-ols are structurally diverse and include a range of compo ...
precursor related to
leucoanthocyanidin Leucoanthocyanidin (flavan-3,4-diols) are colorless chemical compounds related to anthocyanidins and anthocyanins. Leucoanthocyanins can be found in '' Anadenanthera peregrina'' and in several species of '' Nepenthes'' including '' N. burbidg ...
s.


Etymology

The word "carob" comes from Middle French ' (modern French ), which borrowed it from Arabic (''kharrūb'', "locust bean pod"), which ultimately borrowed it perhaps from Akkadian language ' or Aramaic ''kharubha'', or related to Hebrew ''kharuv''. ''Ceratonia siliqua'', the scientific name of the carob tree, derives from the Greek ''kerátiοn'' κεράτιον "fruit of the carob" (from ''keras'' κέρας "horn"), and Latin ''siliqua'' "pod, carob". In English, it is also known as "St. John's bread" and "locust tree" (not to be confused with African locust bean). The latter designation also applies to several other trees from the same family. In
Yiddish Yiddish (, or , ''yidish'' or ''idish'', , ; , ''Yidish-Taytsh'', ) is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a ver ...
, it is called ''bokser'', derived from the medieval
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
''bockshornbaum'' (ram's horn tree, in reference to the shape of the carob). The ''carat'', a
unit of mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...
for
gemstone A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, ...
s, and a measurement of purity for gold, takes its name from the Greek word for a carob seed, ''keration'', via the Arabic word, ''qīrāṭ''.


Distribution and habitat

Although cultivated extensively, carob can still be found
growing wild ''Growing Wild '' () is the seventh studio album by Chinese singer Li Yuchun, released in November 2016 by Yellow Stone. Instead of releasing twelve songs at one time, the album was separated into four EPs, and sold more than 6.5 million copies. ...
in
eastern Mediterranean Eastern Mediterranean is a loose definition of the eastern approximate half, or third, of the Mediterranean Sea, often defined as the countries around the Levantine Sea. It typically embraces all of that sea's coastal zones, referring to communi ...
regions, and has become
naturalized Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...
in the west. The tree is typical in the southern Portuguese region of the Algarve, where the tree is called ''alfarrobeira'', and the fruit ''alfarroba.'' It is also seen in southern and eastern Spain ( es, algarrobo, algarroba), mainly in the regions of Andalusia, Murcia and Valencia ( va, garrofer, garrofa); Malta ( mt, ħarruba), on the Italian islands of Sicily ( scn, carrua) and Sardinia ( it, carrubo, carruba), in Southern Croatia ( hr, rogač), in eastern Bulgaria ( bg, рожков), and in Southern Greece, Cyprus, as well as on many
Greek islands Greece has many islands, with estimates ranging from somewhere around 1,200 to 6,000, depending on the minimum size to take into account. The number of inhabited islands is variously cited as between 166 and 227. The largest Greek island by a ...
such as Crete and Samos. In Israel, the Hebrew name is חרוב ( translit. ''charuv''). The common Greek name is (
translit. Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus '' trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or ...
), or (
translit. Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus '' trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or ...
, meaning "wooden horn"). In Turkey, it is known as "goat's horn" (). The various trees known as ''algarrobo'' in Latin America ('' Albizia saman'' in Cuba, '' Prosopis pallida'' in Peru, and four species of '' Prosopis'' in Argentina and Paraguay) belong to a different subfamily of the
Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...
:
Mimosoideae The Mimosoideae are a traditional subfamily of trees, herbs, lianas, and shrubs in the pea family (Fabaceae) that mostly grow in tropical and subtropical climates. They are typically characterized by having radially symmetric flowers, with petals ...
. Early Spanish settlers named them ''algarrobo'' after the carob tree because they also produce pods with sweet pulp.


Ecology

The carob genus, ''Ceratonia'', belongs to the legume family,
Fabaceae The Fabaceae or Leguminosae,International Code of Nomenc ...
, and is believed to be an archaic remnant of a part of this family now generally considered
extinct Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and ...
. It grows well in warm temperate and
subtropical The subtropical zones or subtropics are geographical zone, geographical and Köppen climate classification, climate zones to the Northern Hemisphere, north and Southern Hemisphere, south of the tropics. Geographically part of the Geographical z ...
areas, and tolerates hot and humid coastal areas. As a xerophyte (drought-resistant species), carob is well adapted to the conditions of the Mediterranean region with just of rainfall per year. Carob trees can survive long periods of drought, but to grow fruit, they need of rainfall per year. They prefer well-drained, sandy
loam Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–sil ...
s and are intolerant of waterlogging, but the deep root systems can adapt to a wide variety of soil conditions and are fairly
salt-tolerant Halotolerance is the adaptation of living organisms to conditions of high salinity. Halotolerant species tend to live in areas such as hypersaline lakes, coastal dunes, saline deserts, salt marshes, and inland salt seas and springs. Halophiles a ...
(up to 3% in soil). After being irrigated with
saline water Saline water (more commonly known as salt water) is water that contains a high concentration of dissolved salts (mainly sodium chloride). On the United States Geological Survey (USGS) salinity scale, saline water is saltier than brackish water, ...
in the summer, carob trees could possibly recover during winter rainfalls. In some experiments, young carob trees were capable of basic
physiological Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...
functions under high salt conditions (40 mmol NaCl/L). Not all legume species can develop a symbiotic relationship with
rhizobia Rhizobia are diazotrophic bacteria that fix nitrogen after becoming established inside the root nodules of legumes (Fabaceae). To express genes for nitrogen fixation, rhizobia require a plant host; they cannot independently fix nitrogen. In gene ...
to make use of
atmospheric nitrogen Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at seventh ...
. It remains unclear if carob trees have this ability: Some findings suggest that it is not able to form
root nodule Root nodules are found on the roots of plants, primarily legumes, that form a symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Under nitrogen-limiting conditions, capable plants form a symbiotic relationship with a host-specific strain of bacteria known a ...
s with rhizobia, while in another more recent study, trees have been identified with nodules containing bacteria believed to be from the genus '' Rhizobium''. However, a study measuring the 15N-signal ( isotopic signature) in the tissue of the carob tree did not support the theory that carob trees naturally use atmospheric nitrogen.


Cultivation

The vegetative propagation of carob is naturally restricted due to its low adventitious rooting potential. Therefore,
grafting Grafting or graftage is a horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together. The upper part of the combined plant is called the scion () while the lower part is called the rootstock. The succ ...
and air-layering may prove to be more effective methods of asexual propagation. Seeds are commonly used as the propagation medium. The sowing occurs in pot nurseries in early spring and the cooling- and drying-sensitive seedlings are then transplanted to the field in the next year after the last frost. Carob trees enter slowly into production phase. Where in areas with favorable growing conditions, the cropping starts 3–4 years after budding, with the nonbearing period requiring up to 8 years in regions with marginal soils. Full bearing of the trees occurs mostly at a tree-age of 20–25 years when the yield stabilizes. The orchards are traditionally planted in low densities of 25–45 trees per hectare.
Hermaphrodite In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes. Many Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrate ...
plants or male trees, which produce fewer or no pods, respectively, are usually planted in lower densities in the orchards as pollenizers. Intercropping with other tree species is widely spread. Not much cultivation management is required. Only light pruning and occasional tilling to reduce weeds is necessary. Nitrogen-fertilizing of the plants has been shown to have positive impacts on yield performance. Although it is native to moderately dry climates, two or three summers irrigation greatly aid the development, hasten the fruiting, and increase the yield of a carob tree.


Harvest and post-harvest treatment

The most labour-intensive part of carob cultivation is harvesting, which is often done by knocking the fruit down with a long stick and gathering them together with the help of laid-out nets. This is a delicate task because the trees are flowering at the same time and care has to be taken not to damage the flowers and the next year's crop. The literature recommends research to get the fruit to ripen more uniformly or also for cultivars which can be mechanically harvested (by shaking). After harvest, carob pods have a moisture content of 10–20% and should be dried down to a moisture content of 8% so the pods do not rot. Further processing separates the kernels (seeds) from the pulp. This process is called kibbling and results in seeds and pieces of carob pods (kibbles). Processing of the pulp includes grinding for animal feed production or roasting and milling for human food industry. The seeds have to be peeled which happens with acid or through roasting. Then the endosperm and the embryo are separated for different uses.


Pests and diseases

Few pests are known to cause severe damage in carob orchards, so they have traditionally not been treated with
pesticides Pesticides are substances that are meant to control pests. This includes herbicide, insecticide, nematicide, molluscicide, piscicide, avicide, rodenticide, bactericide, insect repellent, animal repellent, microbicide, fungicide, and lampric ...
. Some generalist pests such as the larvae of the leopard moth (''
Zeuzera pyrina ''Zeuzera pyrina'', the leopard moth or wood leopard moth, is a moth of the family Cossidae. It is considered a pest by fruit growers, as the larvae feed on branches of many kinds of fruit trees (see list below). Olive trees in particular are ve ...
'' L.), the dried fruit moth (''
Cadra calidella ''Cadra calidella'', the dried fruit or date moth, is a species of snout moth in the genus ''Cadra'' and commonly mistaken for the species ''Cadra figulilella.'' It thrives in warmer conditions and is found primarily in Mediterranean countries, a ...
''), small rodents such as rats ('' Rattus spp.'') and gophers (''
Pitymys Pitymys is a subgenus of voles in the genus Microtus. Species in this subgenus are: *Guatemalan vole (''Microtus guatemalensis'') *Tarabundí vole (''Microtus oaxacensis'') *Woodland vole (''Microtus pinetorum'') *Jalapan pine vole (''Microtus qu ...
spp.'') can cause damage occasionally in some regions. Only some cultivars are severely susceptible to mildew disease (''
Oidium ceratoniae Oidium may refer to: * ''Oidium'' (genus), a genus of fungi in the family Erysiphaceae * Oidium (spore), a type of fungal spore *Oidium, a disease of grapes caused by the fungus species '' Uncinula necator'' (syn. The Botanical and Zoological Co ...
'' C.). One pest directly associated with carob is the larva of the carob moth (''
Myelois ceratoniae ''Ectomyelois ceratoniae'', the locust bean moth, more ambiguously known as " carob moth", is a moth of the family Pyralidae. It has a nearly cosmopolitan distribution. Adults have forewings with a pale brown pattern, and plain white hindwings. ...
'' Z.), which can cause extensive postharvest damage. ''Cadra calidella'' attack carob crops before harvest and infest products in stores. This moth, prevalent in Cyprus, will often infest the country's carob stores. Research has been conducted to understand the physiology of the moth, in order to gain insight on how to monitor moth reproduction and lower their survival rates, such as through temperature control, pheromone traps, or parasitoid traps.


Cultivars and breeding aims

Most of the roughly 50 known cultivars are of unknown origin and only regionally distributed. The cultivars show high genetic and therefore morphological and agronomical variation. No conventional breeding by controlled crossing has been reported, but selection from orchards or wild populations has been done. Domesticated carobs (''C. s.'' var. ''edulis'') can be distinguished from their wild relatives (''C. s.'' var. ''silvestris'') by some fruit-yielding traits such as building of greater beans, more pulp, and higher sugar contents. Also, genetic adaptation of some varieties to the climatic requirements of their growing regions has occurred. Though a partially successful breaking of the
dioecy Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproductio ...
happened, the yield of hermaphroditic trees still cannot compete with that of female plants, as their pod-bearing properties are worse. Future breeding would be focused on processing-quality aspects, as well as on properties for better mechanization of harvest or better-yielding hermaphroditic plants. The use of modern breeding techniques is restricted due to low
polymorphism Polymorphism, polymorphic, polymorph, polymorphous, or polymorphy may refer to: Computing * Polymorphism (computer science), the ability in programming to present the same programming interface for differing underlying forms * Ad hoc polymorphis ...
for molecular markers. In 2017, world production of carob was 136,540 tonnes, led by Spain 40%, Portugal follows, with 30% of the world total. Italy, Morocco, Turkey, Greece, and Cyprus was the next major producer (see table).


Uses


Food

Carob products consumed by humans come from the dried, sometimes roasted,
pod Pod or POD may refer to: Biology * Pod (fruit), a type of fruit of a flowering plant * Husk or pod of a legume * Pod of whales or other marine mammals * "-pod", a suffix meaning "foot" used in taxonomy Electronics and computing * Proper ort ...
, which has two main parts: the pulp accounts for 90% and the seeds 10% by weight. Carob pulp is sold either as
flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...
or "chunks". The flour of the carob
embryo An embryo is an initial stage of development of a multicellular organism. In organisms that reproduce sexually, embryonic development is the part of the life cycle that begins just after fertilization of the female egg cell by the male spe ...
(seed) can also be used for human and animal nutrition, but the seed is often separated before making ''carob powder'' (see section on ''
locust bean gum Locust bean gum (LBG, carob gum, carob bean gum, carobin, E410) is a galactomannan vegetable gum extracted from the seeds of the carob tree and used as a thickening agent (gelling agent) in food technology. Production Locust bean gum is extra ...
'' below). Carob pods are mildly sweet on their own (being roughly 1/3 to 1/2 sugar by dry weight), so they are used in powdered, chip or syrup form as an ingredient in
cake Cake is a flour confection made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients, and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elaborate, ...
s and
cookie A cookie is a baked or cooked snack or dessert that is typically small, flat and sweet. It usually contains flour, sugar, egg, and some type of oil, fat, or butter. It may include other ingredients such as raisins, oats, chocolate chips, n ...
s, sometimes as a substitute for chocolate in recipes because of the color, texture, and taste of carob. In Malta, a
traditional A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...
sweet called ''karamelli tal-harrub'' and eaten during the
Christian holidays The liturgical year, also called the church year, Christian year or kalendar, consists of the cycle of liturgical seasons in Christian churches that determines when feast days, including celebrations of saints, are to be observed, and which ...
of
Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...
and
Good Friday Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Hol ...
is made from carob pods. Dried carob fruit is traditionally eaten on the Jewish holiday of '' Tu Bishvat''.


Carob powder

Carob powder (Carob Pulp Flour ) is made of roasted, then finely ground, carob pod pulp.


Locust bean gum

The production of
locust bean gum Locust bean gum (LBG, carob gum, carob bean gum, carobin, E410) is a galactomannan vegetable gum extracted from the seeds of the carob tree and used as a thickening agent (gelling agent) in food technology. Production Locust bean gum is extra ...
(LBG), a thickening agent used in the
food industry The food industry is a complex, global network of diverse businesses that supplies most of the food consumed by the world's population. The food industry today has become highly diversified, with manufacturing ranging from small, traditiona ...
, is the most important economic use of carob seeds (and now of the carob tree as a whole). Locust bean gum is used as a thickening agent and stabilizer to replace fat in low-calorie products, or as a substitute for gluten. To make of LBG, of carob seeds are needed, which must come from roughly of carob pod fruit. Locust bean gum is produced from the
endosperm The endosperm is a tissue produced inside the seeds of most of the flowering plants following double fertilization. It is triploid (meaning three chromosome sets per nucleus) in most species, which may be auxin-driven. It surrounds the embryo and ...
, which accounts for 42–46% of the carob seed, and is rich in galactomannans (88% of endosperm dry mass). Galactomannans are hydrophilic and swell in water. If galactomannans are mixed with other gelling substances, such as carrageenan, they can be used to effectively thicken the liquid part of food. This is used extensively in canned food for animals in order to get the "jellied" texture.


Animal feed

While chocolate contains the chemical compound theobromine in levels that are toxic to some
mammal Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur or ...
s, carob contains none, and it also has no caffeine, so it is sometimes used to make chocolate-like treats for dogs. Carob pod meal is also used as an energy-rich feed for livestock, particularly for ruminants, though its high tannin content may limit this use. Historically, carob pods were mainly used for animal fodder in the Maltese Islands, apart from times of famine or war, when they formed part of the diet of many Maltese people. On the Iberian Peninsula, carob pods were historically fed to donkeys.


Composition

The pulp of a carob pod is about 48–56%
sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...
s and 18% cellulose and hemicellulose. Some differences in sugar (
sucrose Sucrose, a disaccharide, is a sugar composed of glucose and fructose subunits. It is produced naturally in plants and is the main constituent of white sugar. It has the molecular formula . For human consumption, sucrose is extracted and refined ...
) content are seen between
wild Wild, wild, wilds or wild may refer to: Common meanings * Wild animal * Wilderness, a wild natural environment * Wildness, the quality of being wild or untamed Art, media and entertainment Film and television * ''Wild'' (2014 film), a 2014 A ...
and cultivated carob trees: ~531 g/kg dry weight in cultivated varieties and ~437 g/kg in wild varieties.
Fructose Fructose, or fruit sugar, is a Ketose, ketonic monosaccharide, simple sugar found in many plants, where it is often bonded to glucose to form the disaccharide sucrose. It is one of the three dietary monosaccharides, along with glucose and galacto ...
and glucose levels do not differ between cultivated and wild carob. The
embryo An embryo is an initial stage of development of a multicellular organism. In organisms that reproduce sexually, embryonic development is the part of the life cycle that begins just after fertilization of the female egg cell by the male spe ...
(20-25% of seed weight) is rich in proteins (50%). The testa, or seed coat (30–33% of seed weight), contains cellulose,
lignin Lignin is a class of complex organic polymers that form key structural materials in the support tissues of most plants. Lignins are particularly important in the formation of cell walls, especially in wood and bark, because they lend rigidity ...
s, and tannins.


Syrup and drinks

Carob pods are about 1/3 to 1/2
sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double ...
by weight, and this sugar can be extracted into a syrup. In Malta, a carob syrup (''ġulepp tal-ħarrub'') is made out of the pods. Carob syrup is also used in Crete, and Cyprus exports it. ''Sharab al-kharroub'' is carob juice. ''Debs Kharroub'' is ''carob molasses''. In
Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
, crushed pods are heated to caramelize its sugar, then water added and boiled for some time. The result is a cold beverage, also called ''kharrub'', which is sold by juice shops and street vendors, especially in summer. In Lebanon the browned pods are boiled until a black liquid is produced. The pods are then removed and the liquid is reduced until a thick, black molasse is obtained. The molasse is called ''debs el kharrub'' (literally: molasse of the carob), but people generally shorten it to ''debs''. The molasse has a sweet, chocolate-like flavor. It is commonly mixed with
tahini Tahini () or tahina (, ) is a Middle Eastern condiment made from toasted ground hulled sesame. It is served by itself (as a dip) or as a major ingredient in hummus, baba ghanoush, and halva. Tahini is used in the cuisines of the Levant and E ...
(typically 75% kharrub molasses and 25% tahini). The resulting mixture is called ''debs bi tahini'' and is eaten raw or with bread. The molasse is also used in certain cakes. The region of
Iqlim al-Kharrub Iqlim al-Kharrub is a geographic region in the western part of the Chouf District. Its inhabitants are mostly Sunni Muslims. Geographic definition The Iqlim al-Kharrub is a historical and socio-cultural region in the western part of the Chouf Dist ...
, which translates to the ''region of the carob'', produces a significant amount of carob. Carob is used for compote,
liqueur A liqueur (; ; ) is an alcoholic drink composed of spirits (often rectified spirit) and additional flavorings such as sugar, fruits, herbs, and spices. Often served with or after dessert, they are typically heavily sweetened and un-aged beyond ...
, and syrup in Turkey, Malta, Portugal, Spain, and Sicily. In Libya, carob syrup (called '' rub'') is used as a complement to ''
asida Asida ( ar, عصيدة, ‘aṣīdah) is a dish with origins from the Maghreb. It is a lump of dough, obtained by stirring wheat flour into boiling water, sometimes with added butter or honey. Similar in texture to fufu, it is eaten in mainly ...
'' (made from wheat flour). The so-called "carob syrup" made in Peru is actually from the fruit of the '' Prosopis nigra'' tree. Because of its strong taste, carob syrup is sometimes flavored with orange or chocolate. In Yemen, carob tree is playing a role in controlling diabetes mellitus according to Yemeni folk medicine, and diabetics consume carob pods as a juice to lower their blood sugar levels.


Ornamental

The carob tree is widely cultivated in the horticultural nursery industry as an ornamental plant for Mediterranean climates and other temperate regions around the world, being especially popular in California and Hawaii. The plant develops a sculpted trunk and the form of an ornamental tree after being "limbed up" as it matures, otherwise it is used as a dense and large screening hedge. The plant is very drought tolerant as long as one does not care about the size of the fruit harvest, so can be used in xeriscape landscape design for gardens, parks, and public municipal and commercial landscapes.


Timber

In some areas of Greece, viz. Crete, carob wood is often used as a
firewood Firewood is any wooden material that is gathered and used for fuel. Generally, firewood is not highly processed and is in some sort of recognizable log or branch form, compared to other forms of wood fuel like pellets or chips. Firewood can ...
. As it makes such excellent fuel, it is sometimes even preferred over oak or olive wood. Because the much fluted stem usually shows heart rot, carob wood is rarely used for construction timber. However, it is sometimes sought for ornamental work--particularly for furniture design, as the natural shape of the trunk is well-suited to the task. Additionally, the extremely wavy grain of the wood gives carob wood exceptional resistance to splitting; thus, sections of Carob bole are suitable for chopping blocks for splitting wood.


Gallery

File:Blooming carob tree.jpg, Male flowers on a carob tree in Cyprus, which emanate a strong cadaverine odor File:Ceratonia siliqua female flowers a-RJP.jpg, Close-up of female flower on the carob tree File:Ceratonia siliqua green pods.jpg, Green carob fruit pods on tree, long File:Funny fruits.jpg, Fruit of the carob tree File:Carobs.JPG, Carob pods: green (unripe) and brown (ripe) File:Carob tree leaf.JPG, Abaxial and adaxial surfaces of a leaflet from the carob tree File:Ceratonia siliqua MHNT.BOT.2018.6.11.jpg, ''Ceratonia siliqua'' wood – Museum specimen


See also

* Ratti, a seed from which the Indian measure unit "tola" derived


Notes


References


External links


''Carob'' in Fruits of Warm Climates: Julia F. Morton, 1987

U.C.CalPhotos: Carob —''Ceratonia siliqua'' — Photo Gallery
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