Evergreen tree with a very wide crown and oval, dark green, leathery leaves. The reddish flowers grow in racemes, spreading an unpleasant smell. The carob tree produces dark brown curved pods up to 25 cm long containing a soft pulp with 10 to 15 hard seeds.
The sweet-tasting ripe fruits are pleasant to chew. However, it is mostly the seeds that are processed: into starch- and sugar-free flour, crushed in chocolate manufacture, or the juice is extracted as a thickener and stabilizer in the food industry. In many places the nutritious bean pods are an essential cattle feed.
Our carob tree used to be located along the cocoa trail to demonstrate an alternative to chocolate.
Middle East and Mediterranean
Flora Toskana
The sweet-tasting ripe fruits are pleasant to chew. However, it is mostly the seeds that are processed: into starch- and sugar-free flour, crushed in chocolate manufacture, or the juice is extracted as a thickener and stabilizer in the food industry. In many places the nutritious bean pods are an essential cattle feed.
Our carob tree used to be located along the cocoa trail to demonstrate an alternative to chocolate.
