Carob tree is a type of tree that has high nutritional value and is seen in countries with Mediterranean climate. The leaves remain green all year round. In Turkey molasses is obtained from its fruit and honey is obtained from its flowers. Carob kernel is a seed whose weight does not change in nature. All of the cores have the same weight and each weighs 0.2 grams. In antiquity, carob kernel was used to weigh very valuable things. The word “carat”, which is used today as a unit of weight, comes from the Latin name of carob, Ceratonia. Carob kernel was also used as a unit of measure during the Ottoman period.

It is believed that carob fruit has an aphrodisiac feature that increases sexual power among the people. In Greek mythology, it is said that Zeus reached maturity at an early age and that it was very flirtatious because it was fed with these fruits in his youth.

The Legend of Milky Way
According to the legend, Zeus reached puberty in Crete where he spent his childhood and he slept with all the women on the island. Zeus, who deposed his father from the throne, ascended the throne as the god of the gods and settled on Mount Olympos in Anatolia. Zeus doesn’t leave women alone. The goat herders in the Taurus Mountains, angry with Zeus’ actions, have her secluded wife Hera in a secluded place. It is not known whether Hera has a heart or not, but they sleep with her. Hera gets pregnant after. As her big breasts swell before her belly, they swell and fill with milk. Hera climbs to the top of Mount Olympos so Zeus does not understand the situation. She squeezes her milk-filled boobs into the sky and the milk loaded in Hera’s big breasts is scattered across the sky. That is how the Milky Way galaxy that we see every night occurs.

You can notice the carob tree with its dense shade among the fields in the Antalya plain. Near ancient cities and village houses, you can easily see in the natural areas of maquis.