The Mediterranean Way 10 Week Diet & Lifestyle program teaches you everything you need to know to easily and deliciously get the benefits of the proven healthy Mediterranean diet. Meal Plans, Recipes, Shopping Lists, Weekly Challenges and Lessons, Private Facebook Support Group, Cooking Videos and more! Slice a loaf of hearty wheat bread into half inch pieces, sprinkle with olive oil, and a little bit of salt. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 – 15 minutes. Carob is naturally sweet, with a subtly toasted, nutty flavor and hints of cereal and grain. If you’re expecting chocolate, you’ll be disappointed, but taste with an open mind (and palate) to enjoy a whole different flavor experience. How to buy and store carob The rusk is also called krithrokoulouro or Koukouvagia (owl) in Crete, but to be frank I don’t know why they are so called. My guide told me that Dakos, also know as twice baked bread was a crispy bread (like a big crouton) that was served with a tomato, cheese and olive oil mixture on top.

The glycemic index of carob is very low. It does not contain caffeine and is perfectly suitable for individuals with diabetes. In general, it has positive effects on blood glucose levels and is used in the management of diabetes and obesity. The fruit of the carob tree also contains polyphenols, antioxidant compounds that aid in cancer prevention and the management of hyperlipidemia. Carob trees first grew in Israeli and ancient Egypt thousands of years ago, even taking root in the oldest known piece of literature, “The Epic of Gilgamesh.” Critically important as a food source and form of currency, they were truly worth their weight in gold.Strongly associated with the health foods movement of the 1970s, carob powder has commonly been used as a substitute for cocoa powder due to its similarity in color, texture, and cooking properties. LG Raisz “Osteoporosis: current approaches and future prospects in diagnosis, pathogenesis, and management”

Carob contains calcium, but not oxalic acid. Oxalic acid tends to reduce the body’s ability to absorb calcium and zinc and is found in cocoa and chocolate. A diet high in oxalates also increases the risk of developing kidney stones. Carob powder does not contain oxalates. On the contrary, carob has a much lower caloric value than chocolate (it has 60% fewer calories) and is therefore considered its perfect substitute. In fact, precisely because of its high content of calcium and phosphorus, it is considered to contribute to the prevention of osteoporosis. Carob has a negligible amount of fat, zero cholesterol, is low in calories, high in fiber, and has no caffeine or oxalic acid (the latter is a naturally occurring substance found in chocolate and other foods that inhibits the body’s absorption of calcium). This is also why carob is safe for dogs to each, while chocolate is not. Dakos rusks, either big or small ones, are bread made with barley, which are shaped round, sort of like a bun, and then baked. The preferred flour for Cretan paximadia is barley, which is much darker in color than wheat flour, thus making the dark, heavy and hard Cretan rusks quite an adventure for the uninitiated. The secret to consuming paximadia with safety is to soften them by briefly dipping them in water. Alternatively, you can pour some olive oil on it, add grated tomato, plenty of mizythra (a typical Cretan cheese made of sheep’s and goat’s milk) and a pinch of oregano on top to have the dish which comes in different names in the various regions of Crete, but is commonly known as dakos. Naturally, one might wonder, “What are free radicals?” and “What are antioxidants?” Soon you will understand how useful the carob of Crete with its precious properties can be for you.

These days, it’s a little more difficult to embarrass me (even in a foreign country) and I can say that I have mastered eating Cretan Dakos. Cover Dakos with tomatoes and then feta. Drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkling of fresh oregano. Garnish the top of each Dakos with an olive. The word “carat” originates from the Middle Eastern practice of weighing precious gemstones against carob seeds as a measure of purity. If the gem weighed as much as one carob seed, it was then graded at 1 carat. Creta Carob was established in 2006 and started its operations in 2011. It is a family company that main focus is the production of different biological products from the Carob Pods. Creta Carob is located in Crete Island in a little village called Argyroupoli. During our production process we combine ancient procedures with new technologies. Our final products correspond to the regulations of the E.U. and received the bio qualification in Greece and in the E.U. from DIO. Phytochemical Profile, Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activities of the Carob Tree (Ceratonia siliqua L.) Germ Flour Extracts

Hot carob drinks: Use carob powder much as you’d use cocoa powder in hot beverages made with plant-bsed milk. Try this dairy-free Warm Spiced Carob Milk. This salad is made using this rusk as its base and it is topped with finely chopped tomatoes, capers and olives, topped with xinomyzithra (a whey cheese made in Crete) or a mixture of feta and anthotyros (similar to ricotta) and flavoured with oregano.Choosing the ingredients for a salad can be such a creative process. But what’s also very interesting and fun is the fact that ingredients may vary depending on the rangeoflocal goods each area has to offer. Thus, each salad has a unique character, flavour and, of course, appearance. It’s a time-proven formula: rusks are still made the same way today as they were during antiquity. Of course, in the past twice baking was important, even necessary, to keep bread longer without it spoiling. That way, families who could not bake often, or those away from home for extended periods of time like sailors, farmers and shepherds could enjoy some bread with their meal. It’s the reason why rusks were a staple of very poor Aegean island cuisines, like those of Santorini, Ios, Kimolos and Mykonos, as well as many of the Dodecanese islands – all areas where wood was scarce and people only baked bread a few times a year. Wherever you go they will offer you tsikoudia also calledraki or what is called tsipouro in other parts of Greece, Zivania in Cyprus or grappa in Italy. Once opened, store carob powder in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. It will last for at least a year if kept free of moisture.

Finely cubed (not grated) tomatoes, together with pitted olives and capers are added on top, to add extra moisture, and soft fresh xinomyzithra cheese, salt and oregano are added on top of the tomato mixture. If only such a lofty comparison wasn’t sold to boost its profile, it might have had a fighting chance as its own uniquely flavorful and distinctive ingredient. What is carob and where did it come from? A couple of shots are enough to make you stumble so don’t overdo it if you don’t want to get drunk. Dog Treats: If you like to dote on your dogs, make something more special than plain biscuits, such as Woofie Pies, modeled after the chocolate and vanilla cake sandwiches typically known as whoopie pies. Dog treats are actually a good use for carob, as it’s widely accepted that chocolate isn’t good for dogs. Antioxidants from aqueous decoction of carob pods biomass (Ceretonia siliqua L.): Optimisation using response surface methodology and phenolic profile by capillary electrophoresisCarob chips: Modeled after chocolate chips, this product is also available, but often made of less savory stuff. Hydrogenated vegetable oils take the place of cocoa butter and some also use whey powder (dairy) as a filler. Even the best options for carob chips tend to be waxy in texture, so you’re better off taking a pass, no matter how tempting they may seem. Carob, also known as "carob tree" or "Ceratonia siliqua", is a plant with deep roots in human history and nutrition. It is emerging as a superfood due to its rich nutritional value and health benefits. Specifically, research has shown several interesting aspects regarding the antioxidant activity of carobs, which we will present below. The total polyphenol content in CPP determined by the Folin-Ciocalteu method was 19.2%. The content of condensed tannin determined by vanillin and proanthocyanidin analysis systems was 4.37% and 1.36%, respectively.