5 Best Things About Carob – What is Rogač? Carob may look like chocolate when processed into powder or chips and packaged like our favorite cocoa products, but carob and chocolate are completely different in origin, taste and chemical composition.
You’ve probably come across carobs at some point and wondered how carobs differ from chocolate. Whether you’ve spotted a bag of carob chips nestled among the baking supplies at your local health food store or found a box of carob powder nestled next to the dry ingredients, you’ve probably noticed that they look a lot like chocolate.
5 Best Things About Carob
How do the two really compare? Do the marshmallows taste like chocolate? Is it really a healthier option? How is carob different from chocolate and (perhaps most importantly) how to use it?
Nutrition And Benefits Of Carob: The Best Cocoa Substitute Ever!
Carob (from Arabic “kharrub” or Hebrew “harub”) is made from the fruit of Ceratonia siliqua, a flowering evergreen tree native to the Mediterranean. The fruit of the tree is a legume (think of an oversized snow pea) that takes a full year to ripen.
Carob has long been used in Mediterranean cultures in desserts, drinks and even in folk remedies. It is mainly sold to Americans as an alternative to chocolate.
If carob is most commonly used as a substitute for chocolate, you may be wondering how carob differs from chocolate.
For bakers—and all beings with taste buds—perhaps the most important question is how the two compare in terms of taste. Is carob a compelling substitute for chocolate? In a word: NO. Sandra Boynton, renowned children’s writer and author of Chocolate: The Consuming Passion, says it best:
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Some consider carob as a reasonable substitute for chocolate because it has some similar nutrients (calcium, phosphorus) and because it can be – combined with vegetable fats and sugar – to approximate the color and consistency of chocolate. Of course, the same arguments can be made in favor of dirt. (27)
Rogač shouldn’t take this assessment too personally, as Boynton also compares white chocolate to the paper her book is printed on.
Carob powder, chips, and molasses may not taste like cocoa, but they have a sweet, rich flavor.
Just know that while you can put silken tofu in a chocolate cream pie or ditch the refined sugar for fruit to sweeten a cookie, you’ll be none the wiser swapping carob cookies for the classic glue and chocolate.
Dried Carob Pods • Oh! Nuts®
Carob powder can be used as a direct substitute for cocoa or cocoa powder. But as you read above, it doesn’t taste the same as cocoa powder.
The whole fruit is used to make carob molasses, a decoction obtained by boiling dried carob fruits and reducing the resulting liquid.
In Lebanon, carob molasses has traditionally been used as an alternative to sugar. Mixed and served with tahini or sesame paste, for example, it is still eaten as a so-called dessert.
Carob chips can be used in recipes in place of chocolate chips, but they won’t behave the same. Their successful melting is a task that is accomplished with great difficulty, with careful timing, adding oil and the favor of the baking gods. Carob just isn’t as fatty as chocolate and doesn’t react to heat the same way.
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The bottom line? Both carob and chocolate, in their purest forms, have a place in a healthy diet, although individual health concerns may lead you to choose one over the other. It should also be noted that the benefits of both foods are often negated by the addition of excess sweeteners and fats. Chocolate is especially prone to this nutrient cancellation, so when buying cocoa products, look for low sugar and rich cocoa.
In my opinion, the best use of carob is not in recipes that call for it to replace something else, but in those that are designed to showcase its unique flavor. “Chocolate” fudge desserts inevitably lead to disappointment. When viewed as a single ingredient, carob has a lot to offer.
The earliest known use of carob was in ancient Egypt, where—as evidenced by the carob-shaped hieroglyph for “nedjem,” meaning “sweet”—it came to represent all forms of sweetness. Further east, carob became associated with wealth through the tradition of weighing gold and precious stones against its fruit. This practice is the origin of the word “karat”, which comes from the Greek word “keration” or “seed”.
The fruit also acquired spiritual significance in the Judeo-Christian tradition, appearing in both the Talmud and the New Testament. Rabbi Haninah, John the Baptist, and the Prodigal Son all at one time supported themselves by eating carobs. Due to this association with John the Baptist, the carob received the popular names “bagavac” and “St. John’s bread.”
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Rogač still plays an important role in the cultural tradition of the Mediterranean. It is often eaten as a modest substitute for more luxurious foods during times of fasting and reflection. In Malta, for example, carob syrup is mixed with honey to make small squares of paper
, a drink sweetened with carob juice, is served during Ramadan in the Middle East, while throughout the Jewish diaspora, dried carob is traditionally eaten directly during the holiday of Tu B’Shevat. (This last practice is not for the faint of heart. In fact, a New York rabbi writes that the carob pod is “hard as rock and tasteless as wood” with the smell of Limburger cheese!)
The carob didn’t arrive in the United States until the second half of the 20th century, when it slid onto supermarket shelves in all its dust and chip glory.
Thanks to Jess Touchette for helping research and writing this carob guide! Jess is a special collections librarian living in St. Louis, Missouri. A food history buff and amateur baker, she enjoys studying centuries-old recipes and trying to bring them new life in the modern kitchen. I recently came across a new ingredient: carob powder! You tried? It’s like cocoa powder, but not. And while it tastes like chocolate, it also has hints of coffee and is naturally sweet (unlike cocoa beans).
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Once I mixed it with some coconut butter and took a (hello, delicious) bite, I knew the coconut carob bar had to come. Plus, they go really well with the sugar-free theme going on this month. Let’s do it!
The base is coconut butter, which is easy to make at home. It provides a creamy, naturally sweet coconut base for these incredibly rich bars.
Next is the coconut oil, sea salt, vanilla and maca powder, although this is optional. Not only does maca add a honeycomb, caramel flavor, but it also offers health benefits such as balancing hormones and supporting thyroid function. And it boasts minerals like zinc, phosphorus, iron, calcium and potassium.
But the star of the show is carob powder, which supports healthy digestion and contains calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, copper and zinc. It is also a healthy alternative to chocolate for those who cannot enjoy it.
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They would make the perfect snack or treat to have on hand throughout the week. It’s like a chocolate bar, but kind of sweet with no added sweeteners, which has made it my new favorite dessert!
Be sure to check out our other sugar-free recipes this month: Curried Quinoa Salad, Easy Muhammara Dip, Rich Red Curry with Roasted Vegetables, Daily 1-Pot Lentil Soup, 5-Ingredient Buckwheat Pancakes, Crispy Baked Chickpeas , topped with sunflower cheesy kale chips, lentil-stuffed Moroccan eggplant, and a salad full of kale.
If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it and don’t forget to #tag the photo on Instagram so we can see what you came up with. Hi friends!
Coconut and Carob Bars, easy to make, no sugar or sweeteners! A nutrient-dense, high-fat, low-sugar treat with a rich chocolate flavor.
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*Nutritional information is a rough estimate calculated without additional ingredients. *If you must sweeten the bars, try stevia. I find that liquid sweeteners like maple syrup can sometimes cause the coconut butter to clump.
Serving size: 1 bar Calories: 120 Carbohydrates: 5 g Protein: 1.2 g Fat: 11.2 g Saturated fat: 9.8 g Trans fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 25 mg Fiber: 2.6 g Sugar: 1.5g*% daily value (DV) indicates how much a nutrient in a serving of food contributes to the daily diet. 2000 calories per day is used for general dietary advice.
Carob powder does not dissolve in water like cocoa powder. If you’re baking with carobs, it doesn’t matter, and if you’re making no-bake coconut carob balls, that’s actually a good thing! But if you’re making a carob drink, you might prefer the silky smoothness of carob syrup, which is made by boiling the whole pods. It’s even easier than making syrup from the powder, and you’ll still have pods that you can use in many other ways.
Now, how will you use the carob syrup? Stir a little into hot or cold milk as you would chocolate syrup. Use it to flavor horchata. Pour over ice cream or frozen yogurt. Make special pancakes and waffles using carob syrup instead of maple syrup. Pour the syrup over fresh figs, pears or sharp
