Carob is a delightful evergreen tree, producing edible pods that have been used for centuries in a manner similar to chocolate. Some people refer to carob as a “chocolate substitute,” but this is a serious misnomer. The two are similar in flavour but not identical, and carob has a much longer history. While it might sound like heresy to a choco-phile, it would be more accurate to think of chocolate as a “carob substitute.”In recent years, Australians have had some success establishing carob orchards in various parts of the country. Companies have been marketing carob candies, carob syrup, carob cupcakes, carob brownies, carob snacks, and assorted other items. You can grow carob trees in your back yard as well, and experiment with your own recipes. Carob is a tree in the bean family, native to the Middle East and the Mediterranean region. It has been grown for centuries in North Africa, Palestine, and other countries in the area. This is of course, a desert region, so the trees do very well in hot, dry conditions. The tree is rather tall, up to 13 metres in height, with a trunk up to 3 metres and leathery leaves. Flowers are small and green, not showy at all. They form on older branches, sometimes even on the trunk.The useful part is the fruit. It is a legume, looking much like a bean or pea pod but larger - up to around 20 centimetres. The fruits fall to the ground as they ripen, saving you the trouble of having to climb the tree to pick them.Most carobs are dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate plants, although some cultivars are available that have both. If you plant the dioecious varieties, you need both genders near each other to get any fruit production and you will be waiting for more than 6 years for fruit. You may consider grafting rather than growing the trees from seed, to be sure of which gender you are getting.There are a few ways to eat carob. It is the pods you are interested in, not the seeds, so remove the seeds and toss them in the composter. Cut the pods into small pieces and let them dry.
What you have now is carob powder, comparable to cocoa powder. You can take any recipe calling for cocoa and use carob instead - cakes, cookies, pastries, confections, etc.Image: f2.8/Shutterstock