Algarrobo

Algarrobo, a hearty South American tree that grows in desert and semi-arid regions of mountains, plains, the Gran Chaco (lowland region in the Rio de la Plata Basin), at the edges of mountainous rainforests, and in pampean woodlands in Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay. Various species exist: Prosopis alba, Prosopis alba of the panta variety, Prosopis nigra, Prosopis chilensis, and Prosopis hassleri. The algarrobo measures between 5 and 20 meters (16 and 65 feet), with a diameter of 10 meters (33 feet), and will normally flower and produce pods in September. The Spanish named this tree after the algarrobo (carob tree). In Guaraní, the algarrobo is called ibopé or igopé; in Quechua, it is yaná tacú. Many societies refer to the algarrobo simply as "the tree." Since very ancient times it has been a source of construction material, fuel, ingredients for food and drink, and forage for animals. A flour made from its legumes (carob beans) is used to make a kind of cake (el patay) known for its high nutritional value and long preservation. The same legumes are used to prepare a fermented beverage called aloja. The algarrobo's wood is very strong and can be polished to a beautiful luster. Modern-day usage has concocted a new mixed drink rivaling the pisco sour as Peru's national cocktail. This drink, called algarrobina, is made blending carob-tree syrup with pisco, along with other ingredients.

See alsoAguardiente de Pisco; Pisco.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

H. L. D'Antoni and O. T. Solbrig, "Algarrobos in South American Cultures, Past and Present," in Mesquite, Its Biology in Two Desert Ecosystems, edited by B. B. Simpson (1977).

                        JosÉ Antonio PÉrez GoliÁn