Organic Carob powder is made from the pods of the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua.) The naturally sweet pods are ground into a powdered form and used as a popular chocolate substitute. Carob pods have vitamin A, B vitamins and several important minerals. They are a good source of potassium. Carob has only one-third the calories of chocolate (cacao) and is virtually fat-free while chocolate is half fat. Carob is rich in pectin, is non-allergenic, has abundant protein and has no oxalic acid (which chocolate has), which interferes with absorption of calcium.

To substitute carob powder for cacao, replace one part cacao with one and one-half to two parts carob by weight. Keep in mind that carob is not as flavorful as chocolate, so it is best used in recipes that contain other strongly flavored ingredients. But because carob is naturally sweet, it isn’t usually necessary to add sugar when using it in place of unsweetened cacao powder. Many people enjoy hot beverages made from carob powder as a substitute for coffee.

Origin: Italy