At L’ Arte we use ground exotic carob seeds (one of the best natural emulsifiers) to prepare our gelato base mixture, and carob flour in our Carrubelli Siciliani cookie. Carob is mildly sweet and has long been used in powdered, chip or syrup form as an ingredient in cakes and cookies, often as a healthy substitute for chocolate in recipes because of its color, texture, and taste. Although similar to chocolate in taste, it contains only one-third the calories, as well as being virtually fat-free (chocolate is 50% fat), rich in pectin, non-allergenic, high in protein and finally, contains no oxalic acid (oxalic interferes with absorption of calcium). Not surprisingly, carob has always been a favorite ingredient in the worldwide “natural food” movement. Italy is the second largest producer of carob in the world with Sicily being the main region where it is cultivated.  Finally, a fun fact: carob seeds are amazingly consistent in size and weight, so much so, that they were used in antiquity by Greeks, Romans and Arabs to determine the weight of small precious items such as gold, silver, rubies, emeralds and diamonds, hence the word carat which is ultimately derived from the arabic “qirat” which means “fruit of the carob tree”. Interesting…perhaps at L’Arte we should weigh our carob-based treats in carats!

Chef Andrea