Subject: Re: [Q] Need info on St. John's Bread (Buksa?)

From: [email-masked] (Jeffrey A. Del Col)
Date: 22 Mar 1995 13:21:08 GMT

In a previous article, [email-masked] (June Meyer) says:

>In article <[email-masked]> Ted Swirsky,
>[email-masked] writes:
>>
>>It seems to be a kind of fruit about 1.5 inches wide, 1/4 inches
>>thick and a foot long.  Shiny black.  You chew on it and it lasts a very
>>long time.  Don't know if you swallow it or not.
>>
>>
>It indeed is called St. John's Bread, or Johannes Brot. It is related to
>a story in the bible. It looks like the pod of a locust tree, but without
>the big seeds. It can be grated to make a fiber that is made into a
>bread. It has a somewhat stinkey smell to it.

 St John's Bread is the pod of the carob tree, Ceratonia siliqua.
It is most commonly  used as a substitute for chocolate.

J. Del Col (who ate this stuff--once)

-- 
Jeff Del Col   * "Sleeplessness is like metaphysics.
A-B College    *  Be there."
Philippi, WV   * 
               * ----Charles Simic----

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From: June Meyer <[email-masked]>
Date: 20 Mar 1995 19:40:50 GMT

It indeed is called St. John's Bread, or Johannes Brot. It is related to
a story in the bible. It looks like the pod of a locust tree, but without
the big seeds. It can be grated to make a fiber that is made into a
bread. It has a somewhat stinkey smell to it.
Once in a while, the supermarkets will sell packs of it. It is more of an
old world tradition. I'm sorry I do not know the proper botanical name.

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From: "Marcie G. Mastracci" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 21 Mar 1995 16:48:00 -0500

Ted Swirsky is looking for St. John's bread--

> >long time.  Don't know if you swallow it or not.

And June Meyer adds--

> old world tradition. I'm sorry I do not know the proper botanical name.

I think St. John's bread is carob. It is a traditional food in Sicily. 
It is the pod of an evergreen tree that grows in the Mediterranean
region.  Ceratonia siliqua.

But both Buksa & Johannes Brot sound northern European & I don't think
carob grows in the north.  What languages are Buksa & Johannes Brot? 
Maybe there's more than one thing called St. John's bread or maybe it
was dried & exported to the north.

PS  What is J/nghlm doing on netnews.rec.gardens?  Is someone trying to
grow it now?

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From: [email-masked] (Patricia L. Green)
Date: 20 Mar 1995 14:53:53 GMT

This is obviously that j/nghlm again!

Ted Swirsky ([email-masked]) wrote:

: I don't know if this is a plant or cooking or food newsgroup question, but
: my father was interested in finding out about something he hasn't seen for
: many years.  He knew it as Buksa (not sure of the spelling, but that's the
: pronunciation) and someone told him it was St. John's Bread.

: It seems to be a kind of fruit about 1.5 inches wide, 1/4 inches
: thick and a foot long.  Shiny black.  You chew on it and it lasts a very
: long time.  Don't know if you swallow it or not.

: They took it to the movies and such.

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From: [email-masked] (David King)
Date: 22 Mar 1995 19:12:01 GMT

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Ted Swirsky) says:
>
>
>I don't know if this is a plant or cooking or food newsgroup question, but
>my father was interested in finding out about something he hasn't seen for
>many years.  He knew it as Buksa (not sure of the spelling, but that's the
>pronunciation) and someone told him it was St. John's Bread.

It is a member of the legume family (peas etc.) and is also called carob.
That is the term usually used here in S.California where it is very 
common as a street tree.  The botanical name is Ceratonia siliqua.  It is
native to the Mediterranean regions and is not frost-hardy as I recall.  
(Well, now, I just looked it up and Sunset says it's frost hardy to 18
degrees.)  I don't know if that'll help you in your part of the country,
but that's all I have on that.  I think they are beautiful trees - 
twisted trunks, glossy compound leaves that hang down and, of course,
the blackish dark pods that really look like over grown bean pods.  Great
tree!

david

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From: [email-masked] (Cindy Kandolf)
Date: 22 Mar 1995 13:40:55 GMT

> It is most commonly  used as a substitute for chocolate.

A powder made from St. John's Bread is an old remedy for diarrhea,
believe it or not.  It's still used in Scandinavia, and it works very
well.  You mix the powder into water and drink it.  The powder is sold
under the name Arobon (which i believe is a brand name) at pharmacies.

Just something for all the carob fans out there to think about.  ;-)

-Cindy Kandolf    			
 [email-masked]
 Trondheim, Norway
 All we can do is to assume our lives must change...

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From: [email-masked] (Jeffrey A. Del Col)
Date: 22 Mar 1995 13:21:08 GMT

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From: June Meyer <[email-masked]>
Date: 20 Mar 1995 19:40:50 GMT

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From: "Marcie G. Mastracci" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 21 Mar 1995 16:48:00 -0500

And June Meyer adds--

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From: [email-masked] (Patricia L. Green)
Date: 20 Mar 1995 14:53:53 GMT

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From: [email-masked] (David King)
Date: 22 Mar 1995 19:12:01 GMT

david

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From: [email-masked] (Cindy Kandolf)
Date: 22 Mar 1995 13:40:55 GMT

-Cindy Kandolf    			
 [email-masked]
 Trondheim, Norway

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From: [email-masked] (Alice Ramirez)
Date: 24 Mar 1995 14:37:58 -0800

St. John's bread is another name for Carob.  This is actually a tree
in the legume family that produces long, dark pods that taste sort of
like chocolate.  They aren't bad, although chocolate is better.

>They took it to the movies and such.

>I'd like to know what it is, where it came from, where you can obtain it, etc.

>If anyone can give me any info at all, I'd appreciate it.  He's not
>convinced the net is a good source of information!

>Thanks.

>Ted