Carob, Fruit
Carob tree (Ceratonia sliliqua) is a species of flowering tree or shrub in genus Ceratonia of the legume family Fabaceae, cultivated for its edible seed pods. It is native to the Mediterranean region, Iran, the Middle East, Portugal and the Canary Islands. Carob tree grows well in warm temperate and subtropical regions, and can withstand hot and humid coastal areas. Carob tree is frost-tolerant and grows up to 10 m tall, and has a broad or semi-sperical crown. The trunk is brown with rough bark and sturdy branches. The leaves are alternate, pinnate, 10-20 cm long, with or without terminal leaflet. Most carob trees are dioecious, with separate male and female plant, and flowering during September to October. The small flowers are spirally-arranged along the inflorescence axis in catkin-like racemes that are borne on spurs from old wood and trunk (cauliflory). The flowers are pollinated by wind and insects. Male flowers have a characteristic odor. The edible fruit is a pod which takes a full year to develop, mature and ripen. It is elongated, compressed, striaght or curved and is thickened at the sutures. Developing seed pods have the appearance of green broad beans but turn a dark glossy brown with maturity. The pod contain four series of oval holes, each contains a seed like a watermelon seed. Each pod can hold up to 15 seeds. The ripen pods are eventually fallen to the ground and eaten by various animals, thereby help to disperse the seeds. Carob can be dried or roasted, ground into powder or processed into chip form, has a slightly sweet taste and is used as an ingredient for making cakes and cookies. It is sometimes used as an substitute for chocolate as carob is free from the stimulants caffeine amd theobromine. Carob can be taken as a snack, or make into syrup or drinks, compotes, and liqueurs. Ground carob seeds (also known as algaroba, St. John's bread, locust bean gum and locust beans) are commonly used as animal feed, and also as a stabilizer, thickening and darkening agent in processed foods such as in ice-cream and dessert fruit filling. Carob is high in carbohydrates (sugars), tannins, protein, vitamins A, B, B2, B3 and D, calcium, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, iron, manganese, barium, copper and nickel.  Carob Author: Júlio Reis (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 Generic) | ||
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