Caroubier

The caroubier is a Arbre Dioïque of the family of the Fabacée S, originating in the areas the Mediterranean (Canary islands, North Africa, the Middle East, southernmost Europe). This gasoline Thermophile was largely spread by the culture and is liked on arid slopes. It is cultivated for its Fruit, the carob .

Etymology

The word " caroubier" from the Arab comes Moroccan el kharroube (الخرب), ahkhabou in Berbère, Hebrew Charuv in (חרוב). Its Latin name Ceratonia comes from the Greek keratia meaning " small corne" (in reference to its carobs, pods in the shape of horns with maturity). The name of species, siliqua , also indicates but in Latin a Silique, or pod. It is also called Carouge, Pain of Jean-Baptiste saint, fig tree of Egypt, broad bean of Pythagore.

Description

The caroubier is a Arbre measuring from five to seven meters height and which can reach fifteen meters exceptionally.

The trunk large and is twisted, the brown and rough bark. Abundantly provided foliation form a broad houppier. Its longevity can reach 500 years. The sheets, large from twelve to thirty centimetres, alternate, persistent, are made up paripinnate and count from three to five pairs of Foliole S. Of oval form, those are coriaces, green sinks shining above, drawing on the red on their lower face.

The flowers, very small, made up of a chalice crimson without corolla, are joined together in Grappe S axillaires cylindrical. They appear from August at October.

The fruits, called “carobs”, are hanging Gousse S from ten to thirty centimetres length on one and half with three centimetres of width, initially green, they become brown dark at maturity, in July of the following year. They are coriaces, thick and indéhiscentes.

The seeds of carob are brown, of flattened ovoid form, biconvex and very hard. They are separate from/to each other by pulpy partitions. One counts some from fifteen to twenty by Gousse. The pale yellow pulp contained in the pods farinaceous and is sweetened with maturity. Edible, with the chocolate taste, it is sometimes consumed in the poor countries.

The size and the weight of these seeds being rather regular, they were used as measuring unit in the Antiquité. Their name is at the origin of the Carat, which represented the weight of a carob seed, in the trade of the invaluable stones. In the same way, siliqua, Latin name of carob, were at the Romains the name of a unit being worth 1/6 of Scrupule. In Germany, the torrefied carob seeds are used in substitution of the Café. One can also suck seeds like candies.

Culture

The caroubier does not resist cold (0° C minimum). The caroubier female must be Pollinisé by a male tree to give towards the fifteen years age of the edible and sweetened fruits (in September /octobre): carobs. A tree in full production can provide between 300 and 800 kg of carobs per annum.

Multiplication

The fresh seeds of caroubier germinate normally well without preliminary treatment but once they dried, they become very hard and do not absorb any more water thus preventing seed from germinating.

It is then necessary to soak seeds in the sulphuric Acid concentrated (H2SO4) during one hour then in water during twenty-four hours or, in absence of acid, to soak them in ebullient water during fifteen minutes while stirring up then to let marinade during twenty-four hours. The washing the acid sulphuric replaces the relation between the plant and the animal which usually eats seed, leaves it " mariner" into its digestive tract and its gastric juices a few hours then rejects it.

Composition of carob

Each carob weighs about fifteen grams and contains fleshy pulp made up of 40% of Sucre S (Glucose and Saccharose), 35% of Amidon, 7% of Protéine S, and, in smaller proportions, greases, Tannin S and Rock salt. The carob is rich in Calcium, Phosphore, Magnésium, Silice, Fer and Pectine.

Use

The caroubier is cultivated in the Mediterranean countries, in particular in Spain and Italy of the south (Sicily). The Morocco is the second world carob producer country. Berber the Zayanes uses it for its medicinal virtues because, thanks to its high percentage of fibers, she exerts a regulating effect on the intestinal function and is used in the cases of diarrhea or constipation in the children. She is then managed in the form of instantaneous preparation, like a hot chocolate.

One draws from the caroubier two very different products used abundantly by food industry: the flour of carob and the gum of carob .

The carob gum comes from the thin brown envelope which recovers seeds. It contains a Endosperme white and translucent which acts like thickener.

human Consumption: if the direct carob consumption does not have any more that one anecdotic value, the carob flour is used nowadays in the additive Agribusiness industry like (code E410) for the ices, pastry makings, the diet foods (not of Gluten in carob), in particular like substitute of Cacao. The carob, contrary to its counterpart the cocoa, contains neither Théobromine, nor Caféine, two Alcaloïde S with the action exciting on the organization. Let us announce however that Guy Martin, the chief of the Grand Véfour in Paris, does not hesitate to employ whole dry carobs in his receipts like the Soupe with the chocolate (Greedy Receipts, Éditions of the Oak, 1996).

animal Feeds: the carobs constitute an excellent energy food for the cattle. Sometimes one incorporates them in made up food.

decorative Tree by its foliage, which gets a shade appreciated in the sunny countries.

the seeds of the caroubier make it possible to produce a Gomme used especially in food industry, but also in other industrial applications (industry of the Papier, Textile, Pharmacie, Cosmétique, etc).

Poetry: One finds many references to this fruit in the traditional Arab literature (Rouba' i-iatu Al-Khayyam: poem of Ahmad Rami dedicated to carob).

Production

In 1856, 8000 caroubiers were imported of Spain towards the Texas, the Arizona, the California and the Florida. The species was spread largely in California or she is even regarded as " invasive Species " because the tree recèpe when it is cut and its seeds are too largely disseminated by the Coyote S.

External bond

Carob tree book

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