Carob trees were originally found in an area ranging from the Mediterranean to the Middle East. The carob is part of the legume family and apart from being cultivated for its edible pods, the tree is also widely planted for its ornamental appeal. It was first introduced to the US in and thrives in the warm Californian climate. Cacao trees, on the other hand, belong to the Malvaceae family along with other plants of economical importance such as cotton and okra.
Cacao trees are native to the tropical forests of South America and can be found as far north as Southern Mexico. Not exactly. While both are eventually ground into a powder, how they get to that stage is a little different.
Carob powder is made using only the pods—the outer casing. The pods are soaked and boiled to soften and remove the seed. The seeds are discarded and when the pods dry out again, they are ground down to create carob powder. The process of producing cocoa powder is a little more in-depth. These nibs are then ground and part of the natural butter is subsequently removed.
The remaining paste is dried and ground again to create the product we know as cocoa powder. Carob and chocolate have their own distinct tastes and are not in any way similar. Carob has a sweet and slightly nutty taste and is naturally less bitter than chocolate. Adding sugar and emulsifiers may ultimately create a similar texture to that of chocolate, but their physical appearance is where the similarity ends. Aside from being a substitute for cacao and chocolate, it can be used to prevent the crystallisation of sugars or as a stabiliser, thickener, or emulsifier.
However, if you plan on using carob as a substitute for cacao, you must be well aware that carobs are significantly less sweet. This means that when using it as a substitute for cacao, you must use sugar to get a sweet chocolate taste.
But if you are using carob just to add a chocolate flavour to your dish, you will do fine without any added sugars. The cacao is often mistaken for its product, the well-known cocoa powder since both terms are being used interchangeably in kitchen settings. To make things clear, cacao is the tree from which the cocoa powder came from.
The cacao tree produces cacao pods whose beans are turned into the sweet chocolate tasting cocoa powder. Cacao powder originally spread from Southern American region a couple of years ago. They were highly celebrated for their aphrodisiacal properties and more importantly, their medicinal benefits. Because of so, cacao powder easily became one of the most traded commodities back in the day.
Before chocolates, Europeans disliked the taste of cacao powder until they discovered adding honey to it makes it extremely delicious. Ever since then, cacao products have been spread internationally both in liquid and solid forms. As for the health benefits of cacao powder , it contains 20 times more antioxidants than blueberries and four times more than the average dark chocolate. Raw cacao powder contains approximately chemical compounds that makes up several nutrients that are good for the body.
Eating cacao powder will provide you with important fatty acids, antioxidants, flavonoids, sulphur, magnesium, riboflavin, thiamine, carotene, calcium, and even protein. Since cacao powder contains several nutrients, it has the capability to lower your LDL cholesterol, enhance heart health, and even reduce the risk for cancer.
Though cacao powder has its fair share of health beneficial nutrients, it also contains sugar. Antioxidants are important in keeping you healthy by neutralizing the oxygen-based free radicals and environmental toxins in your body.
Carob and cacao contain two groups of bioactive antioxidant compounds — polyphenols and flavonoids. Clemson Cooperative Extension says flavonoids may help reduce the risk for developing heart disease, cancer, stroke and even premature aging. According to Cornell University food scientists who compared different chocolate products, cocoa powder ranks highest in antioxidants. Read more: How Much Antioxidants in a Day? Nutrition Nutrition Basics Nutrition Facts.
Is Carob Healthier Than Cacao? Janet Renee has over a decade of experience as a registered dietitian. Renee attended the University of California, Berkeley and holds an M. Sylvie Tremblay, MSc. Sylvie Tremblay holds a Master of Science in molecular and cellular biology and has years of experience as a cancer researcher and neuroscientist. Carob powder is sometimes used as a substitute for cacao powder.
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