Carob in Mediterranean Cuisine
Carob is one of the rare fruits that grows on almost every coast of the Mediterranean and has therefore become the common culinary heritage of the region. It turns into syrup and pastel in Cyprus, syrup and bread in Crete, fasting desserts in Malta, molasses with tahini and Ramadan drink in the Levant; in Spain, it takes place both in the memory of the famine years and in modern food research.
Read MoreCarob Sector in Spain and Portugal
Spain and Portugal are the two largest producers of carob in Europe and most likely in the world. In both countries, production is concentrated in certain coastal areas; the flesh of the fruit and especially the carob gum obtained from the seed is exported to the world through a developed processing industry.
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Carob in the Years of War and Famine
Carob has been both animal feed and a food used by people in difficult times for centuries in the Mediterranean basin. This fruit, which can bear fruit even in dry years, can be stored for a long time when dried, and is naturally sweet; It has become one of the means of survival during the Spanish Civil War and the subsequent famine years, in besieged Malta during the Second World War and in many rural areas of the Mediterranean.
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The Origin of the Name Carob and Its Names in Different Languages
Since carob is a tree that has been known in the Mediterranean basin for thousands of years, it is called by different names in every language and even in different regions of the same country. It is called "carob" and "carob" in Turkish, "carob" in English, "algarroba" in Spanish, "garrofa" in Catalan and "carruba" in Italian. Most of these names go back to the Arabic word "kharrūb". The scientific name Ceratonia siliqua is derived from the Greek words "horn" and Latin "pod".
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