Carob Mill Museum in Limassol, Cyprus

The Carob Mill Museum in Limassol is located next to the ancient Castle of Lemesos in the old city. Carob pods from Cyprus were transported to the world. Carob is a tropical pod that contains a sweet, edible pulp and inedible seeds – which is often used as a substitute for chocolate. Carob was often referred to as ‘black gold.’

The carob trade in Cyprus was transformed in 1911 when steamships were loaded with carob for export to England. Prior to that, carob only went to the Mediterranean via sailing ships.

Carob pods were received in the mill and weighed on an industrial weight balance. The first selection of the pods cleared them of woods, stones and other materials – and only the large pods were selected for export. The remaining carob passed through three different sized meshes before they were kibbled and crushed. There were three final products: small carob cubes, carob flour, and the seed.

Carob cubes were exported solely for livestock feed to countries such as Britain, Germany, France, and Russia. Carob flour was often exported as a substitue for chocolate in the confectionary industry.

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

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