Carob, just a chocolate alternative?

Carob is commonly known to be a Chocolate Substitute although it rightly deserves credit of its own.

The Carob plant is an evergreen tree decorated with glossy leaves, red flowers and long brown pods form on the tree, which hold seeds within sweet pulp.
These seeds are the source of Locust Bean Gum 
- you may recognize this name.
A natural ingredient to improve the texture of foods by thickening and stabilizing the food.
After being sun dried, the seeds are removed and the pulp of the carob pods is ground into 'carob powder'
and to make carob syrup the powder is dissolved in water and boiled to make a runny consistency.
But how to use it?
Carob is a natural addition to baked goods, its taste is not as rich as cocoa.
It can be used as a sweetener, and replaced instead of chocolate in brownies and puddings.
Note : Carob powder is less soluble than Cocoa and it can be gritty. Make a smooth paste of carob powder and warm water before adding into a drink/recipe.
Carob naturally contains calcium, phosphorus, iron!