What Is Carob?
What is carob? Carob is an edible tropical bean or pod that grows on carob trees in the Mediterranean region where people have been enjoying it for thousands of years.
Carob trees are also known as "locust trees."
And sometimes carob pods are also called "locusts" or "St. John's Bread."
The Bible records in Mark 1: 6 that John the Baptist ate "locusts and wild honey" as part of his simple vegetable diet.
It's very likely that he ate carob pods along with his honey. So much more appealing than a diet of bugs!
What Is Carob Powder?
Carob is processed into a powder called carob powder.
It looks a lot like cocoa powder, but has a much different taste. For one thing, it's a lot sweeter than cocoa powder.
You can buy raw carob powder or or carob powder that has been toasted. Which one you choose is a matter of personal preference.
Is Carob A Substitute For Chocolate?
Carob is a great alternative to chocolate if you're limiting or cutting chocolate from your diet. Or you can enjoy it just because you like the flavor.
You can use carob to replace chocolate in recipes. Carob powder is not as bitter as cocoa powder. So don't forget to reduce the amount of sweetener when substituting carob for cocoa in recipes.
You can make carob brownies, carob chip cookies, carob cream pies, and all sorts of yummy goodies with carob. I'll be posting some yummy carob recipes in my upcoming issues of Restoration. So be sure to subscribe. It's free!
One word of caution though...
Carob tastes really good and it looks a lot like chocolate. But in the end, it's NOT chocolate. I don't recommend trying to pass carob off as chocolate. You can't fool a true chocolate lover! They'll know right away that you've made a switch. That could make for a very awkward situation.
Instead, present carob for what it is. Carob.
No need to apologize. Carob's unique flavor can stand on it's own. More people will be willing give it a try. And, who knows? They may even end up liking carob just as much as, or even more than chocolate. Especially since it's caffeine free!
Related Pages:
Carob Recipes (coming soon!)
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