Carob

What it is

A carob pod measures 10–30 cm (4–12 in) long, flattened and straight or gently curved. The outside is brown and leathery. When the pod is fully ripe and dry, its loose seeds rattle inside.

The sweet part is the pulp around those seeds. It can be chewed straight from the ripe pod, leaving the hard seeds behind.

Where it comes from

Carob is native to the Mediterranean region and Iran, where it grows on rocky ground near the sea. It has also spread to India, Central and South America, and parts of Africa. The same tree is planted for shade as well as for its crop.

How it's eaten where it grows

In Anogyra, Cyprus, carob becomes pastelli: toffee made by repeatedly stretching and pulling thickened carob syrup. Another Cypriot preparation mixes carob honey with olive oil to eat with warm bread.

In Greece, sourdough carob rusks combine wheat flour, carob flour and carob syrup. The rusks are baked twice. Carob powder gives baking a cocoa-like ingredient made from the sweet pulp of the pod.

How it's grown

Carob is an evergreen tree in the bean family, suited to cool winters and hot, dry summers. Trees grown by grafting a bud onto a rootstock can begin bearing five or six years after planting.

In Mediterranean groves, workers knock ripe pods down with long bamboo poles or wooden sticks. Nets spread beneath the trees catch the falling crop.

When and where you'll find it

Carob is usually harvested at the end of summer or the start of autumn. In California, the Sfax variety ripens in August at Indio and September at Vista. It also comes as roasted carob powder, such as organic powder from Spain.

Two ingredients come from different parts of the pod. Carob flour supplies the sweet pulp for baking; locust bean gum comes from the seeds and thickens foods such as ice cream and sauces.