iCarob: Lesetjentiswa ngeSihlahla seKudla

Carob pods - curly or flat - contains a sweet pulp and protein-rich seeds. The pods are used as a chocolate substitute and animal feed while the seeds are ground and used as a thickening agent.

Lesihlahla se carob (Ceratonia siliqua) lesiphindze satiwe ngekutsi yi St John’s Bread sihlahla lesincane kuya emkhatsini lesihlala siluhlata sesitjalo semakhasi labanetinhlavu ngekhatsi lesinemacembe lahlala ancinca. Sikhokha emakhatsi langatsi sikhumba lalishumi nakutsatfu kuya kumashumi lamatsatfu emasentimitha ngebudze nalokubondziwe lokuyi chocolate lenongotelako kanye neshaphisi, lokutfwele tinhlavu letsabhontjisi.
Le carob ayisiyo imvelo eNingizimu Afrika kepha ikhombisa kwetsembisa lokukhulu njengekudla kwetilwane kanye nebantfu kwentela kukhutsata kudla kwemvelo lokuniketwako.
Lolucwalingo nge carob lentiwa eUSA nga 1949, ngetinhlobo letiningi letikahle letatikhetsiwe futsi tingafanani, letinye tato tamikiswa eNingizimu Afrika. Cishe letisikhombisa letingafanani letisetjentiswa mhlabawonkhe, tihamba ngekuvelela, emanani elikhasi (apatalele, agobene kancane, noma ashwilene), nangabbe njje tinhlav kanye nashukela kutfwele (kusuka ku 48% kuya ku 56%).
Letinhlobo letisihlanu tikhula eNingizimu Afrika (kakhulu eWestern Cape) aviwa ekufundzeni Litiko lete Kudla lwe Sayensi ku Nyuvesi yase Stelllebosch nnga 2010. Tigaba tashukela (lelapho 70% kwakuyi sucrose) lehambella kusuka ku 40 kuya ku 54%, emaprotein kanjalo nenombolo lephelele yelishumi nesikhombisa ye amino acid leyashiwo, kufaka ne amino acid lemcoka. Tintfo letiningi tekudla – sinkhwa, kudla kwasekuseni, lubisi – lelinatfwako, liphalishi kanye ne mousse kwacalwa ngesikhatsi salesifundvo.
Ngekudzingeka lokuncane ngekunakekela, lesihlahla se carob silungele indlela kungena lokuphansi. Tihlahla te carob titjalo letatiwako letinhle letisetjentiswa etingadzeni kanye nekujuba umoya. Yi fibre lisetjentiswako njengoba emacembe ayo asha kamalula/ashela phansi. Lesigodvo sicinile futsi tindumbu tisondzele futsi ibitwa ngekusebentwa kwayo ekubateni. Isha kancane futsi ilungele kuba tinkhuni tekubaswa, yenta emalahle lakahle kakhulu.
Lamakhatsi kanye nemacembe akahle kakhulu ekubeni kudla kwetilwane letitinkhomo, tingulube, timbuti, timvu kanye nemadonki. iCarob inelinani lekusetjentiswa ekudleni kwebantfu. Ingadliwa iyinsha noma itfosiwe. Tinhlavu tangaphansi tisetjentiswa ekwakheni emabhontjisi elocust (igalactomannan), isetjentiswa njengaletiyisako kanye nekuhlukanisa kuvela kwe chocolate ekudleni.
Lesihlahla se carob sihlanyelwe iminyaka letinkhulungwane kumave lamaningi langase lwandle lase Mediterranean, kakhulu etimeni telitulu kanye nakutindzawo letisehlandzeni letomile letinemhlaba lophansi. Labakhicita icarob bafaka Spain Italy, iMorocco, iTurkey kanye nePortugal. iPortugal, ngekusho kweluhlelo lwase US, lelakhokhwa ngetulu kwema ton latinkhulungwane letimashumi lamane ecarob nga 2016. Imphuphu ye Carob eNingizimu Afrika yetintfo letikhokhiwe ivame kulandvvwa eSpain.
Le nhlavu ye carob lephindze isetjentiswe njengesikali sesisindvo segolide kanye nemagciwane ngoba tinhlavu tiyafana ngesisindvo. Leligama lelitsi ‘carat’ lichamuka ku gi̅ra̅t ligama le tinhlavu ngesi Arabic.

Indlela yekuHlanyela Tihlahla te Carob

©Jad Issa

Lesihlahla se carob – lesihluma kancane singahlanyelwa ngetinhlavu. Tinhlavu tidzinga emanti labilako ekwelapha lokulandzelwa ngemalanga lamatsatfu ekuhlala emantini kwentela kutfutfukisa kuhluma. Letinhlavu kumele tihlanyelwe emhlabatsini lohlanganisiwe losentfweni (ngesikhatsi sentfwasahlobo noma luhlobo) etintfweni ngatinye kufana nelikhathoni lelakhiwe futsi lelubisi. Titjalo letincane tiphindze tihlanyelwe umasetimasentimitha lasiphohlongo kuya kulalishumi ngekuphakama. Vikela kubulala/kulimata timphandzana letiyincelencele uma uhlanyela letitjalo letincane.
Tihlahla te carob tiyi trioecious lokusho kutsi letindvuna naletinsikati totimbili letihlahla tiyaphila kantsi futsi letinhlobonhlobo letinye tikhokha letindvuna naletinsikati timbale. Sihlahla sinye lesindvuna singakhokha letinsikati letingaba lishumi kuya kumashumi lamabili. Kwakheka kukhishwa ngumoya kanye netilwanyana, kepha kukhokha lokuphansi kuvama kulunga ngekwakheka lokuphansi.
emaCarobs angamelana nesomiso, imoya yase lwandle kanye nangoba nguyiphi inhlobo yemhlabatsi ngaphandle kwe libumba lolusindzako kanye nemhlabatsi we esidi.
Atsandza tindzawo letomile, letinematje lamakhulu.
Tihlahla te carob tidzinga kuniselwa kancane kanye nekuvundziswa bese akwentiwa kuncutfwa noma kutjutjwa.
Emakhasi ecarob avunwa ngaphambi kwebusika futsi kumele asuswe kulesihlahla ngelipali, atffwalwe ngetilulu noma afakwe ngaphansi kwesihlahla bese ayomiswa ngelilanga. Emakhatsi akhokhwa ngemuva kweminyaka lesitfupha kuya kulesikhombisa futsi kuye kuma kg lalikhulu nemashumi lamabili nesihlanu emakhasi langavunwa esihlahleni lesesikhulile (iminyaka lengaba noma ngetulu kwemashumi lamabili nesihlanu).
Kukhokha lokungaba ngema kg lamabili langagadvwa esihlahleni lesineminyaka lesitfupha budzala. Tinhlobonhlobo letitfutfukile tingakhokha titselo (emakhasi) eminyakeni lemitsatfu kuya kulemine.
Emagciwane etihlahleni te carob ambalwa futsi tilwanyana letincane tilwanyana tetigogo kanye nemuhlwa we carob, iMyelois ceratoniae.

Translated by Phindile Malotana