Recipes   > Ingredient Archive   >  Fresh Figs

Surely there’s no fruit more sensual than the fig, one of the ancient world’s most prized foods. Long associated with religious traditions and Roman and Greek civilizations, figs (together with olives, grapes, and wheat) were a cornerstone of early Mediterranean cultures, providing the basis of everyday sustenance. The prophet Muhammad is credited with declaring, “If I should wish a fruit brought to Paradise, it would, certainly, be the fig.”

Selecting Fresh Figs

Fresh figs are extremely fragile and must be handled with care.

• Choose ripe fruits that yield to gentle pressure but are not soft and squishy.
• Avoid figs with excessively wrinkled skins, splits, or black spots.
• Store figs at room temperature in a cool, dark spot for a day or two before using. To hold them longer, place them on a plate lined with paper towels (uncovered) and refrigerate them for up to several days. Chilling tends to dull figs’ floral fragrance and honey-like flavor, so allow them to come to room temperature before serving.

Figs are technically a flower, not a fruit. Cut one open and you’ll see their soft, succulent flesh is packed with tiny edible seeds. It’s these seeds, or drupes, that are the actual fruit. Figs come in hundreds of varieties ranging in color from purple, brown, and green to white. In the US, the most commonly encountered varieties are Black Mission, Brown Turkey, Kadota, and Calimyrna. Figs were introduced to the United States by Spanish conquistadors and missionaries. The latter planted trees at most of the California mission churches in the mid-18th Century — so it’s not surprising that California leads domestic production, and that Black Mission figs are the most widely grown variety.

Fresh figs are extremely fragile and must be handled with care. They have thin skins and must be picked ripe, which makes them very perishable and difficult to transport. As a result, the vast majority of the annual harvest is dried.

Figs are glorious eaten out of hand, but they’re also delicious when cooked and partnered with salty foods such as chevre or blue cheese, nuts, or prosciutto and other cured meats. Try using fig purée as a substitute for fat and sweetener in baked goods, in much the same way you’d use applesauce.

Preparation is easy. Wipe figs clean with a damp cloth or give them a quick rinse in cold water and gently pat dry. Cut off and discard the tough stems; they contain a milky white substance that does not taste good. Figs generally don’t need to be peeled, but if you come across a variety with a thick skin, remove the peel with a parer if you’re eating the fruit raw. Fig season is short — July through October — so enjoy them while you can!

Sweet yet Nutritious

The ancients prized figs for their medicinal value and considered them restorative. They were also part of the athletes’ diet for the original Olympic Games. Figs have all the rich sweetness of candy, but nutritionally they’re a much better choice.

• Figs have one of the highest combined mineral counts of any cultivated fruit; they’re an excellent source of calcium, potassium, and iron.
• They’re also loaded with dietary fiber, thanks to all those seeds.
• Scientific studies have shown that people who eat potassium- and fiber-rich foods tend to have lower rates of heart disease and stroke.