Carob enjoys a resurgence in popularity as a 'superfood'
The bean-like pod is enjoying an upsurge inpopularity as a so-called superfood, but not everyone is convinced, writes Nan-hie In
Carob, the flat, bean-like pods of the carob tree, has been consumed by people from the Mediterranean to the Middle East for centuries. Harvested elsewhere in recent decades, it has become an ever-present feature in health food stores from America to Australia.
In powder, syrup or bar form, the ingredient has re-emerged as a coveted nutritional item amid the global obsession with so-called superfoods - potent fruits or vegetables packed with exceptional nutritional content.
I use carob as you'd use paprika, salt and pepper. I love it.
But in Hong Kong, the food remains a mystery. Few grocers stock it; Marketplace and ParknShop have a range of other trendy superfoods like acai berry juices and coconut water, but not carob. But recent stirrings in the market suggest changes ahead. The Australian Carob Company - the biggest producer of the crop in the southern hemisphere - debuted its premium range at the Lohas Expo last month, a health and lifestyle expo held at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai.
The company's founder, Michael Jolley, says the response to his products - carob syrup, powder, and dried nibbles - at the three-day expo exceeded his expectations: "We sold heaps on the last day, people love it."
It probably won't be long before the selection arrives in the city, as Jolley sees demand rising in Asia as more people discover carob's purported health benefits.
Registered dietitian Winsy Leung says carob is rich in calcium, potassium, fibre, minerals such as magnesium, iron and manganese and others, plus vitamins such as A and D.