The Carob Tree - Il-Harruba

The Carob Tree (il-Harruba) is quite common on the Maltese Islands and could still be found in its natural habitat. The carob is one of the Mediterranean’s oldest trees, and grows without care or cultivation, surviving on meagre rainfall. This low-spreading tree with its characteristic canopy effect is part and parcel of the Maltese rural landscape and is protected by law.

The carob is indigenous to the eastern Mediterranean, and the Bible is replete with references to what are likely to be carob-pods, like the pods that the prodigal son fed to pigs when he wasted his father’s inheritance and was forced to become a humble swineherd. The pods are also known as St. John's bread or locust beans because the pods were once thought to have been the "locusts" that were eaten by John the Baptist in the wilderness. In the past carob seeds were used to weigh gold, hence the word "carat."

During the second World War, carobs fetched the highest price ever at a penny a pod. The seeds were ground along with precious and rare supplies of coffee-beans to make it last, something that the French did at the same time with acorns. In Malta and Sicily up to fairly recent times, carob syrup was used to soothe sore throats and ease coughs. I remember quite clearly when I developed a whooping cough and there was this old farmer (whose farm was situated in front of our home) who used to bring mum a lot of carob pods. She used to prepare this brownish mixture which she then made me drink. It didn’t look appealing but it really soothed my horrible and intense coughing bouts.

Carob sweets (il-karamelli) are still popular, and often sold at Good Friday processions because they are deemed traditionally to be the only sweets allowed during Lent, having supposedly medicinal properties. These sweets are made from the carob pods. According to an old Sicilian recipe for ‘Caramelle Di Carrube’ one needs to prepare equal amounts of carob pods and honey and have them boiled together until caramelised. The mixture is then strained and poured onto an oiled surface, marked into little squares and allowed to cool before being cut up into sweets.

Carob-pods, are now making a comeback as a health food in Europe. The carob-flour is made by grinding carob-pods that have been dried and roasted. It has a very strong flavour and must be used with care. The taste is a little like honeyed chocolate, and in fact carob is sometimes used as a substitute for chocolate. The dark-brown carob pods are not only edible but rich in calcium, sucrose and protein. Moreover, the pod has vitamin A, B vitamins, and several important minerals. And although carobs are very sweet, they contain far fewer calories than chocolate!! They are sold at high prices in many European food-markets, but in Malta they are no longer even harvested as food for animals!! Are carobs set for a revival in Malta too?