The Fig, An Early Cultivated Plant

When talking about figs we are usually referring to a baglike formation which is almost closed at the top and think of it as a fruit.

Did you know?
What we see is not the fruit. In fact inside this baglike formation there are many flowers which produce the pollen and what we usually call "seeds". These "seeds" are the real fruit of the fig.

Figs are not just the so thought fruits we like to prepare in different ways and to eat in different dishes. When we are talking about figs we also can refer to a huge genus of trees and shrubs.

Did you know?
What we are thinking of when talking about figs is the edible part of a tree called Common Fig. But fig also refers to ficus, a kind of trees, shrubs and vines, where the Common Fig is one out of about 850 different species. Another well known fig tree is ficus benjamini, also known as Benjamin's Fig.

The Common Fig is a large shrub or tree which is native in southwest Asia and the eastern Mediterranean region from Greece over Cyprus to Pakistan.

The height can be up to 10 meters with a light grey bark. The leave are between 12 and 25 cm long and between 10 to 18 cm wide with three or five lobes.
What we call the fruit is between 3 and 5 cm long with a green, sometimes maturing to purple, skin.

Figs can be eaten fresh or dried. Also they find their way into different kind of jams. Commercial use of figs is mostly in dried or any other processed form, as picked fruits don't keep very long and thus transport of mature fruits does not well. This is why most people know just the dried figs and never ate fresh ones. The taste is totally different and not comparable.
I didn't like figs, as I also just knew them as dried fruits. But since I am living in Cyprus and have fig trees in my backyard I love them. Whenever you have a chance, try a fresh fig, you will love the flavor although you might not like them dried.

Did you know?
The Romans already used the figs to feed geese up for the production of an ancient kind of goose liver pâté.

If you are lucky and have your own fig tree in the garden or you are able to buy fresh figs in the fruit shop or on the market, you probably want to can your own figs.

Actually canning figs is very easy with the right ingredients and the proper equipment.

How to Make Home-canned Figs- Easily! shows you in a few easy steps and completely illustrated how to can figs.

Besides food products, figs are also used in skin and health care products as well as in traditional medicine.

Figs are one of the plants with the highest amount of calcium and fiber. They have a laxative effect and contain a lot of antioxidants.

Did you know?
Although the fig is a very healthy fruit and used as food as well as in traditional medicine, the fig is a skin allergen and the sap might be a serious eye irritant.

According to the book of Genesis, Adam and Eve covered themselves with fig leaves after they were trying the forbidden fruit from the Tree of Conscience.

The same way fig leaves have also been used for a long time to cover the genitals of any nude figure in paintings and sculptures.

Did you know?
Oftentimes it were the art collectors or exhibtors who added the fig leaves long after the work was completed.