Carob is the fruit  carob, a tree probably native to Syria and used  for more than 4000 years, because of its nutritional and medicinal virtues.

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  Already cultivated among the Ancient Greeks, it would have spread throughout  Mediterranean region. The word "carob" comes from the Arabic word  kharrub  which means "pod".

  The carob tree is related to the tamarind tree; it is sometimes known under the name of "bread of Saint John", because a legend of the Bible tells that John the Baptist would have nourished its seeds with  honey  during his crossing of the desert.  

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  The pod is not only edible (and delicious), it is also rich in sucrose and protein (up to 80%). Carob contains vitamin A, B vitamins as well as magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, manganese, barium, copper and even nickel.

  The Arabs considered the carob to be an excellent pectoral softener  to advise patients with chronic bronchitis.

  The Zayan Berbers (Berber tribe of the  Khénifra region, in the central Middle Atlas, Morocco) use it for its medicinal properties.  Due to its high fiber content, it exerts a regulating effect on intestinal function and is used in cases of diarrhea or constipation in children.

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Use :

Carob is used like  cocoa  and the  chocolate, we put it in particular in cakes,  cookies, drinks and  confectionery. It is used as is or in combination with  cocoa  where the  chocolate.  

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Contrary to  cocoa, carob does not contain theobromine, a caffeine-like stimulant. The carob is very sweet, it is not necessary to add  sugar  when used instead of  cocoa. However, the flavor of the carob should be enhanced, either by  cinnamon  or the  mint.
 

Anecdote:

  This tree would have a very special mathematical property which has long been used by men ... 

Indeed, Carob pods in the ripe state contain seeds whose shape and weight are surprisingly regular.

Because of this consistency in weight, we used these seeds as a unit of measurement ... The word "Carat" was born! Carob seeds gave the name to Carat (from the Greek Keration), 1 Carat corresponding to 1 seeds (200mg).

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English name

Carob, saint John's bread, locust tree, algarroba, carob tree.

German name  :

Bockshornbaum, johannisbrotbaum, karobenbaum.

Spanish name  :

Algarrobo.

Italian name  :

Carrubo.

Dutch name  :

Johannesbroodboom.

Arabic name  :

Kharroub.

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