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Carob pods, raw, wild
People who don't know carob very well think it's a health food shop version
of chocolate, but it's sooo much more! We actually love to mix carob with raw
chocolate for a lovely sweet, high calcium treat. Chocolate has lots of magnesium,
carob has lots of calcium. They dance together in a tasty delight on your tongue.
Carob is a legume that comes from the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua), an evergreen
tree native to the Mediterranean (it is actually a shrub that is trained into
tree form by pruning). Today it is also grown in other warm climates including
Florida and the southwestern United States. Ours comes from Turkey, and is wild,
unsprayed and nutrient-dense. The tree bears fruit (carob pods) after six to
eight years of growth, and can easily bear 100 pounds of pods per year by its
twelfth year, increasing to an average of 200 to 250 pounds annually as the
tree grows older. It can continue to bear fruit for 100 years.
Carob pods are nature's first confectionery bar! Just bite into it, spit the
seeds out, and chew! It has a chocolate-like flavour but is naturally sweeter
than cacao beans.
The pods are reddish-brown and can be up to a foot long. Carob has been used
for food for over 5000 years. It is also called "honey locust" or St. John's
Bread as this was consumed by John the Baptist while he was in the wilderness
(Matt. 3:4). The husks that were eaten by the Prodigal Son in Jesus' parable
(Luke 15:16) were discarded carob pods. The word carat, which is still used
today to measure gold and diamonds, comes from the Arabic name for the carob
seeds because of their uniformity in weight.
Carob is very nutritious. Carob contains as much Vitamin B1 as asparagus or
strawberries; as much niacin as lima beans, lentils, or peas; and more Vitamin
A than aubergine, asparagus, and beetroots. It also contains Vitamin B2, calcium,
magnesium, potassium, and the trace minerals iron, manganese, chromium, copper,
and nickel. It contains approximately 8 percent protein and is a good source
of fibre. Compared to chocolate, carob is three times richer in calcium, has
one third less calories and seventeen times less fat.
Important legal note: Though we are happy to provide
products and services which will help you to improve your health and well being, we do not 'treat', or aim to 'cure' any disease. Under UK law only a medical doctor may 'treat' illness and disease with a medical origin. The information in this web page is for information purposes only.
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