Fig

Names: Fig (English), Higo (Spanish), Figue (French), Feige (German), Fico (Italian).

Origin: Northern Asia Minor

Appearance and Taste: A soft, sweet, thin-fleshed food item with many small, edible seeds. Although the Fig is most often considered to be a fruit, it is actually a flower that is picked for eating, which can vary in color from white, green, brown, red, and purple with shapes that range from round to oval.

History: Ficus carica, known to us as the common fig. Spaniards brought the fig to America in 1520. The fig tree was mentioned prominently in The Bible but it has been around much, much longer. Sumerian stone tablets dating back to 2500 B.C. record the usage of figs.

The fig tree can live as long as 100 years and grow to 100 feet tall, although domestic trees are kept pruned to a height of about 16 feet.

Figs were introduced to England and Mexico in the 1500's, then the Eastern US in 1669 and to California in 1881. Common figs were cultivated successfully throughout the Gulf states and California, but the Smyrna fig did not fruit until it was realized that a tiny wasp was needed for pollination, which was not native to California. The wasp (Blastophaga psenes) was introduced in 1900.

Nutrition Facts: High in potassium, iron, fiber and plant calcium, figs are also used for medicinal purposes as a diuretic and laxative.