The evergreen carob tree (ceratonia siliqua), a member of the pea family, with oblong pods, turning from bright green to chocolate brown, rustle in the wind, producing a comforting melody to those who live near them. Native to the Med, they are now cultivated more widely in sunny climes and harvested from September to November. During the late Roman period, the pure gold coin ‘solidus’ weighed 24 carob seeds resulting in the expression ‘24-carat gold’. In turn, carob seeds, which are consistent in weight, were used to measure gold in ‘carats’ and carob was nicknamed ‘black gold’.
In countries like Cyprus, it’s common to hear old folk telling the benefits of the carob; from chewing on the pods raw from the tree to aid weight loss, to boiling them up into a molasses to drink in winter to ward off illness; as carob is bursting with vitamins and minerals. People who lived through the war in England might recall being given the pods in lieu of chocolate during rationing times.