CAROB
"Nature's First Chocolate"

Long before there was even a place called Switzerland, there was the Carob.  A gift from the Divine Presence, the Carob may well have been borne out of the Manna which God provided to the Jewish People during their 40 Years in the desert.  

The family of Holy Food Imports was first introduced to the Carob near the Bar Kochba caves in the Negev Desert.  It was in those caves that ancient Israelites waged war with the Romans for many years.  As we approached the caves, we saw an amazingly green shade tree standing alone.  Beneath it, a shepherd tended his flock and sat on a large rock, contemplating the world.  

As we watched the shepherd, whose serene demeanor bespoke an inner peace which calmed the very earth around him, we could not help but think that this was the place where Abraham, Isaac and Jacob tended their flocks as well.  With none of the "modern" conveniences and machinery, buildings and traffic to afflict us, we were drawn back to a simpler time.  .  .  .  .  .  For just a moment in time, we felt truly at peace.  

When Carob and Honey are combined, they become a dark sweet product which we like to think of as a sweet Liquid Chocolate.  Eaten on a spoon, or spread over bread (or even better Challah Bread), this could easily replace most breakfast foods for those of us with a sweet tooth.

THE CAROB TREE IN THE BIBLE

And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

HEALTH BENEFITS

Carob does not contain cholesterol, caffeine, theobromine, and oxalic acid, as chocolate does. Its natural sweetness also reduces the need for big doses of additional calorie-laden sweeteners, as are found in most products made from naturally-bitter chocolate.

Low-fat, low-sodium, high-fiber, calcium-rich carob is made from the pods of carob trees (Ceratonia siliqua). There are hundreds of varieties of these trees growing all over the world, but the evergreen leguminous type on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea produces the most flavorful carob products which are an excellent alternative to cocoa.

The pods of these trees are harvested and then the pulp of the seedcases is broken into pieces called "kibbles." The kibbles are roasted and finely ground.

Scholars surmise that the husks which the Prodigal Son in the Bible fed the swine were actually carob pods.

The dark-brown pods are not only edible, but also rich in sucrose (almost 40% plus other sugars) and protein (up to 8%). Moreover, the pod has vitamin A, B vitamins, and several important minerals. We know carob mostly because the pods are ground into a flour that is a cocoa substitute. It has only one-third the calories of cocoa (total 1595 calories per pound), is virtually fat-free (chocolate is half fat), is rich in pectin, is non-allergenic, has abundant protein, and has no oxalic acid, which interferes with absorption of calcium.

Consequently, carob flour is widely used in health foods for chocolate-like flavoring. A very fine polysaccharide gum--mucilaginous, odorless, tasteless, and colorless--can also be obtained from the pod and is now used in many products. There are also several putative medicinal uses of the plant, and singers formerly chewed the pod husks in the belief that this clears the throat and voice.

For forty years in the desert and thousands of years beyond, the People Of The Nation Of Israel have enjoyed nature's first chocolate.  Shouldn't you?