Carob

Carob The tree of the sweet pod

חרובCeratonia siliqua

The carob is a dark evergreen with glossy leaves and long brown pods that taste faintly of chocolate. It grows wild on hillsides across the country and is planted in gardens and along roads. Its pods were long used as animal fodder and as a sweetener, and carob syrup is still sold in markets. The tree grows slowly and can live for centuries. A story in the Talmud tells of an old man planting a carob he would never see bear fruit, so that his grandchildren could eat from it.

Glossary: Carob