WHAT IS A FIG?

Image credit - http://www.letoilemagazine.com/

A fig is an edible fruit from the common fig tree - Ficus carica. It is approximately 3–5 centimetres long, with a green skin that often ripens to a purple or brown colour. Once matured, the fig has a tough peel which will often crack upon ripeness, exposing the pulp beneath. Inside is a white inner rind which contains a seed mass bound with a jelly-like flesh. The seeds are also edible, and if they have been pollinated will have the characteristic nutty taste of dried figs.

Fig newton - http://whatscookinginyourworld.blogspot.co.uk/
Figs are most commonly eaten dried, but they can also be eaten fresh from the tree or used for making jam.

Ripe fruit does not transport well, neither does it have a long shelf-life so most of the commercial production of figs concentrate on dried or  processed forms. perhaps the most widely known fig product is the fig roll, now marketed as the fig newton, which is a biscuit with a fig paste filling.

Surprisingly the fig roll recipe is very similar to a sweet snack that was eaten in Egyptian times!

Not only do they taste good, they do you good. In fact, relative to human needs, dried figs are one of the richest natural sources for fiber, copper, manganese, magnesium, potassium, calcium, and vitamin K.

For related articles click onto the following links:
FICUS ELASTICA
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