CAROB POD

[Gr., ke·raʹti·on].

In the illustration of the prodigal son, Jesus describes the starving lad as desiring to eat the carob pods that were fed to the pigs. (Lu 15:16) These pods grow on the carob tree (Ceratonia siliqua), an attractive evergreen that grows throughout Palestine as well as in the rest of the Mediterranean area. The tree reaches a height of up to 9 m (30 ft), with small glistening leaves resembling those of the ash. The fruit or pods have a shiny leathery shell of a purplish-brown color and, in harmony with their name in Greek (ke·raʹti·on, “small horn”), have a curved horn shape. They measure from 15 to 25 cm (6 to 10 in.) in length and about 2.5 cm (1 in.) in width. Inside are several pealike seeds separated from one another by a sweet, sticky, edible pulp. Carob pods are widely used till this day as a food for horses, cattle, and pigs. Grafting of the trees is employed to produce a quality of carob that people also eat.