NOTE: According to HaRav Vaye, carob fruit must be
checked. In Eretz Yisroel, carobs grow wild in forests and
gardens, without suitable measures being taken to protect
them from infestation. Their fruit is frequently infested and
must be checked. Carob powder may be different.
It was the taste. Why we were so crazy about the taste, I
don't know. It wasn't like us to take so much interest in
something like that. The carob bar was unusual in that it had
absolutely no sugar. It was the milk powder and the natural
sweetness of carob.
We felt that we had a mission. To discover where the carob
bars were made and how we could obtain them in bulk at a
reduced cost. It wasn't that close to where we were staying,
but we were able to reach the factory by car.
As we stood at the entrance and spoke with the foreman, he
was puzzled at our request. We had to explain a few times
over that we were just two private individuals who liked his
product so much that we wanted to have some in bulk.
We were used to buying things in bulk from our days up in
Maine when we were members of a food cooperative. Then we had
ordered 50-pound sacks of wholewheat berries, gallons of
peanut butter, and pounds of walnuts.
We stood at the entrance and peered in at the machinery and
the smell of carob everywhere. The foreman explained that he
was not at liberty to sell us the carob bars in bulk.
He registered our disappointment as we stood there with a
mission unfulfilled, then he said that we should wait a
moment as he disappeared into a side room. A moment later, he
appeared, holding a large block of carob in his hands.
"Here," he said. "This is a ten pound block of carob. You can
have it."
I don't think he even wanted any money from us. Just the fact
that we had made such an effort to come, two grown women who
seemed to be in full possession of their faculites.
It wasn't what we expected, but in many ways, it was even
better. I don't think we would have been happier with a ten
pound gold bar. That block of carob sustained us for at least
a month.
It sat on the patio in the main room of the new Jersey
farmhouse, as we chiseled off pieces. I don't think we had
even finished it by the time I was ready to leave there and
move on.
Over the years, I have sampled a number of carob bars, both
in America and here in Israel, but there has never been one
to compare with that block of carob which so fortuitously
came into our hands.
In manufacturing carob confections, carob is used in its
powdered form, but it originates as a pod growing on a tree.
The first time I saw a carob tree and its carob pods was when
I came to Israel. It was then I understood the source of my
beloved carob bars.
The carob tree is an ancient native of Israel, and it grows
wild, mainly in the mountains of the Galilee and the Carmel.
Its name may come from the word cherev, which means
dagger, because of the elongated shape of its fruits. Or, its
derivation may be the word chorev, which means
parched. The tree tends to grow in very dry soil in
mountainous regions, and its pods are almost totally lacking
in moisture.
Carob is rarely eaten as a pod. It is generally sold as
roasted carob powder in health food stores or as a syrup. Tu
Bishvat is an exception, when the pods appear on the platters
of fruits and nuts that are eaten in celebration of the Rosh
Hashona of the trees [though they are considered an infested
species, so beware, and perhaps just look at them].
Mention of the fruit of the carob tree is found in the Mishna
where the story is told of R' Shimon bar Yochai, author of
the Holy Zohar. During the times of the Roman persecution, R'
Shimon and his son Elozor were sentenced to death, and they
found refuge in a cave for thirteen years. They spent their
time delving into the mystical aspects of the Torah. Their
main sustenance came from carob pods from a tree that
miraculously sprouted outside their cave, and a spring of
water which they providentially discovered nearby.
The location of this cave is known to be near the city of
Peki'in in the Northern Galilee. When I visited this holy
site, I found a towering, gnarled and very ancient looking
tree growing at the entrance of the cave. There were carob
pods hanging from its branches and pods all around me on the
ground.
There is an expression in Hebrew, "to be sustained by a
measure of carobs." The source of this saying is R' Chanina
ben Dosa, who is described in the Talmud, "The whole world is
sustained by the merit of My son, Chanina, but My son Chanina
is satisfied with a measure of carobs from one erev
Shabbos to the next."
What gives carob the ability to satisfy and sustain?
I have a slender book that I picked up in Denve, where I
lived in the early '80's, entitled, Cooking with Carob:
The Healthful Alternative to Chocolate. Most of its
recipes include butter or some other dairy product which
render them impractical for my Shabbos menu, but the
introduction has some interesting information about the food
value of carob.
Carob is described as naturally sweet, high in protein, low
in fat and low in calories. The authors point out that carob
has as much thiamine, an important B vitamin, as asparagus or
strawberries. It has much more of the important B vitamin
niacin than lima beans, lentils or peas, and more vitamin A
than eggplant, asparagus or beets. Carob is also rich in
important trace minerals and the anti-anemia nutrient
iron.
Carob is ideal for anyone with chocolate, cocoa or milk
allergies and is often suggested for hypoglycemic adults and
hyperactive children because it is rich in safe sugars and
contains no caffeine.
In a nutritional composition table that measures the
differences between carob and chocolate, it compares
f(l)avorably on many accounts. Just to cite two examples, 100
grams of carob contain 352 mg. of calcium as compared to 78
mg. in the same amount of chocolate. And a 100 gram weight of
carob has 180 calories while the same amount of chocolate
contains 505 calories!
However, as soon as you consider it a substitute for your
beloved chocolate, you are bound to be disappointed by its
more subtle flavor. Your children will easily see through
your sleight-of-hand-switch to carob, and they may very well
resist your good intentions at their expense (and
yours...).
Of course, young children will be just as happy with a cup of
hot carob milk sweetened with honey. And they will be just as
delighted with carob fudge balls unless someone tells them
differently.
But for the older children and the husband, better let the
carob stand on its own instead of being used as a healthy
substitute. You can introduce it as an exotic confection that
only more sophisticated and sensitive palates can appreciate.
Let them warm up to it in their own good time, which they are
bound to do if you try serving them this delicious carob
cake.
Carob Cake with Creamy Carob Frosting
3 cups wholewheat flour
2 cups raw sugar
6 heaping tablespoons of carob powder
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 tablespoon of vinegar
2/3 cup oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups of water
Mix all the dry ingredients. Then make a well in the center
and add the wet. Mix thoroughly until the batter is smooth.
Fit waxed paper into a 9 x 13 inch pan and pour in the
batter.
Bake at 350 degrees F. for about 45 minutes, or until you
sink in a toothpick and it comes out dry.
Let the cake cool while you prepare this wonderfully creamy
frosting.
Pour 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 cup carob powder, 50 gram margarine
and one teaspoon vanilla into food processor or blender and
blend. Add more honey to get the right sweetness.
This carob cake is meant to celebrate a festive occasion, an
excellent conversation piece for Shabbos Tu Bishvat. It is
unbelievably good, satisfying and sustaining. [And it
probably won't last until next erev Shabbos...]
