Carobs: The Algarve’s Delicious “Black Gold”
If you’ve ventured into the Algarve hills, especially in the warmer months, you may have been intrigued by several trees gracing the landscape. While twisted olives and gorgeous winter almond blossoms may be somewhat familiar, there’s a particular tree many haven’t seen before. Carob trees’ thick woody trunks and large leafy canopies are certainly nice to look at, but what catches your attention is the fruit – what looks like huge dried-up runner beans hanging, some in bunches, most solitary, off branches. Possibly even more surprising is that if you snap one of the pods in half, they’re often bright green on the inside (if ripe, that is)!
However, there’s so much more to carobs than their surprising appearance. In fact, dubbed a “healthy chocolate substitute,” carob fruit has gained renown for its sweet, caramel-like flavour, but without the bitterness or caffeine.
Want to learn more about this strange tree, its importance to the Algarve region, and where to have a taste? Then read on!
Carob in the Algarve
Though the sun-kissed coast of southern Portugal is best known for its pristine beaches, it boasts a rich cultural heritage deeply rooted in agricultural traditions. Among these traditions is the carob, a drought-tolerant tree that has thrived for centuries – since Moorish occupation, to be exact – on the region’s dry soils and extensive sunshine. Once used as animal feed, the nutritional benefits and potential of the carob fruit went unnoticed for quite some time. However, the last few years have seen a boom in demand, which has seen the price of an “arroba” – a unit of measurement used for carob fruit, 32 pounds or 14.7 kg – skyrocket, and more and more plantations spring up, making it an even more significant contributor to the region’s economy.
If you venture out of LUX MARE and into the Algarve hills – an expedition our concierge will be more than happy to arrange for you – and speak to locals about carob farming or plantations, they’re likely to tell you tales of carob thieves raiding orchards, how best to store your carobs from one year to the next, and the painstaking harvest process.
Health Benefits and Culinary Delights
Beyond its cultural significance, carob also boasts an array of health benefits that have earned it a dedicated following among health-conscious consumers. Rich in fibre, antioxidants, and a valuable source of vitamins E, D, C, Niacin, B6, and folic acid, carob is prized for its digestive health benefits, as well as its ability to satisfy sweet cravings without the caffeine and fat found in traditional chocolate.
In the Algarve, many carob-based culinary delights can be found gracing the shelves of bakeries and artisanal shops, with carob products easily spotted by their tell-tale black colour. These include carob cakes, pies, biscuits, pastes, spreads and even doughnuts sold on busy beaches in peak season. However, when exported, carbs have an entire range of other uses, including as a food additive gum or vegan food thickener, as a gelling agent in the textile industry, and as a stabiliser and thickener (E410).
A carob and coconut mousse
Credits: Mar d’Estórias (www.mardestorias.com)
Reading about carobs may be well and good, but we’re sure that you’re wondering whether a “healthy chocolate substitute” lives up to the hype… and there’s only one way to find out! Wander down from LUX MARE to Lagos town centre, where you’ll find Mar d’Estórias, a shop-bistro-bar serving “delicacies from our grandmothers’ recipe books, albeit with some variations”, made with local, organic products. Of course, you’ll find carob items on their menu, but we’d suggest their carob and coconut mousse, which is nothing short of divine.
Now you know more about one of the Algarve’s traditional foods, all that’s left to do is give it a taste, so what are you waiting for?
