Carob Trees

The best carob growing areas in North Cyprus are within the Kyrenia mountain range and can be found anywhere, whether it be dry or stony terrain to 600 metres above sea level. Its leaves are pinnate, smooth-edged leathery leaflets, dark green to russet in color.

As the Kyrenia region harvested over a quarter of the island’s carob tree pods, Kyrenia Harbourb became the centre for its trade, and the harbour-front buildings were used as warehouses to store the carob harvest before it was packed into hessian sacks and shipped out to Europe, where it was fed to cattle, sheep and horses. The trade of this cash crop was very profitable for the island and the simple commodity that helped to produce such abundant wealth was hence named the “Cyprus Black Gold”. Although the international carob trade collapsed in the 1960s, carob very much continues to be harvested in North Cyprus and local farmers still gather the crop every summer.

The tree produces clusters of long pods, which in the stage of early growth resemble a curved goat’s horn, hence also referred to locally as keçiboynuz. It blossoms from July to October when the catkins appear hanging from mature branches. By the end of the summer, the mature pods are 10-30 cm long and flat. During the ripening process, these gradually turn to a rich dark brown colour and before the pod dries out in the summer heat the carob crop is harvested. Carob is a feed substance that is highly nutritious and full of sugar, so in addition to being used for animal fodder, it has other domestic uses. Carob pods are naturally sweet, not bitter, and contain no theobromine or caffeine. The carob tree fruit is widely used in medicine, as it is rich in such vitamins as A, B, B2, B3 and D. The ripe, dried, and sometimes toasted pod is often ground into carob powder, which is sometimes used to replace cocoa powder. Carob bars are also alternatives to chocolate bars and are often globally available in health and vegan food stores.

However, the local pekmez (molasses) condiment, produced by boiling carob powder into a reduction is a healthy favourite found in all supermarkets. The carob is also an excellent source of firewood, and the resin extracted from the seeds is also used in the cosmetics, paper and textile industries.