Carob Pieces

Dried carob is the pod of the Ceratonia siliqua tree, broken into dark brown pieces. It smells like cocoa and tastes toasty and mildly nutty, sweet on its own with no sugar added and without the bitterness that cacao carries.

The tree is native to the Mediterranean.

The carob tree is an evergreen, and its long, flat, leathery pods have been used as a cocoa alternative in baking for generations. The pieces here are broken from those pods, so expect natural variation in size and shape, and a colour that runs from deep chocolate brown to lighter tan where the inside shows. Carob's sweetness comes from the sugars in the pod itself, which is why it is popular in dairy free desserts, energy bars and homemade baking mixes.

How to use it

Steep or simmer the pieces for a rich, cocoa-like herbal tea that contains no caffeine. They also go into baking, and into stews and desserts, where they add sweetness and depth. Because carob brings its own sweetness, cut the sugar in a recipe back before you add it rather than adjusting afterwards.

Details

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