Investigation of Local and Universal Dimensions of the Carob

Prof. Dr. Metin Karadağ and Asst. Prof. Dr. Mihrican Aylanç, faculty members from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences of Cyprus International University (CIU) found out different aspects of the universal carob product of Cyprus with its mythological, religious, cultural, literary, and medical aspects in their work on "Carob in Turkish Cypriot Folk Culture".

In their study, academics examined the usage areas, rituals, and beliefs in many different cultures related to carob and presented the universal inventory of the carob in epic, literary, and cultural terms for the first time in the literature from this dimension.

The authors emphasized that the tree culture is the source of thousands of years of rich beliefs and narratives under the general title of plant folklore and the Mediterranean originated carob is seen in Christian, Jewish (Talmud) myths and legends. It was also stated that the academics revealed that it was the basic motif of various narratives in the ancient cultures of South America from the Arab-Islamic world.

In their studies, the authors emphasized that the carob seed was used as a gold carat measure in the 6th century Byzantium, and the Mediterranean rituals developed and spread in different ways in the Turkish Cypriot culture over the centuries. In the study, which exemplifies the presence of the carob in various proverbs, riddles, folk songs, and meanings on the island, it has been found that the carob is used in the Turkish Cypriot cuisine with very rich variations.

Prof. Dr. Metin Karadağ described the research findings as: “The observation of similar beliefs and practices related to carob in Muslim, Christian and Jewish cultures proves that this plant is an important tool of intercultural relations and interactions, outside its ethnobotanical context.

The tree, which is the symbol of reproduction in Central Asia and protection of the mother, has carried these functions to Anatolia, the Mediterranean, and up to the present time with its carob genus. Carob that has nutrition, reconstitution and ritual creation functions in a universal framework, is also in a similar position in the Mediterranean region in Turkey and among the Turkish Cypriots.

As a result of the research, in which Turkish Cypriot culture is predominantly emphasized, it has been observed that the carob is at the center of the tradition of attributing holiness to natural elements in the ancient Turkish tradition, with its nutrition and healing functions. Also, with the carob example, as a result of the respect and love for the tree, it has been revealed that belief, tradition, and literary products carry the holiness and national culture into the present”.