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Straight Dope Classic from Cecil's storehouse of human knowledge16-Mar-1979
Dear Cecil:
What is carob? Where does it come from? Is carob healthier than chocolate? Why is it more
expensive? How many calories in an ounce of carob? How much sugar, and what type? --Eddie
E., Los Angeles
Dear Eddie:
I can see you have a fiery curiosity, my son, although carob seems like a strange thing to
get passionate about. It is basically a chocolate substitute made from the roasted and
ground pods of the carob tree, a Mediterranean evergreen that goes by the name Ceratonia
siliqua.
It is not healthier than chocolate in itself; both carob and chocolate are basically
nonnutritive flavorings. Carob has 51 calories per ounce to cocoa powder's 98; it has a
somewhat larger proportion of carbohydrates, but less protein and fat. You don't use
enough of it to make the sugar content worth worrying about.
What's significant is that carob is naturally sweeter than (or, perhaps more accurately,
not as bitter as) chocolate, so you don't have to use as much sugar with it in recipes.
Refined sugar, which does little for you besides rot your teeth, is the major ingredient
in many chocolate recipes. Supposedly you can use half as much sugar when you substitute
carob. Carob is still a specialty item, which accounts for its cost.
Having ventured one or two carob delicacies in my day, I must say that carob makes for a
pretty vague approximation of chocolate, and American tastebuds do not take to it with
unanimous delight. However, it's worth experimenting with, as long as you're not
determined to actually eat it.
--CECIL ADAMS
The Straight Dope / Questions or
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