The fig: delicate false fruit

Fresh figs are delicious with gorgonzola or goat cheese, but also go well with bacon or raw ham. Dried they go perfectly with nuts and are a tasty snack. This delicate so-called false fruit does not need much finery. And is also very healthy.

Figs come in all sorts of colors ranging from white and yellow to deep dark purple. Each variety has its own distinctive flavor. Figs are actually false fruits, just like the strawberry, pineapple and rose hip. They are formed from the base and flower of the fig tree.

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You can eat both the seeds and the pulp of the fig. The skin is even edible with very fresh figs. If the figs are a little less fresh, you can better peel them. This is easiest if you first cut the fruit into quarters and then pull the skin off the fig from the top (the thin part) downwards. The figs that are available in the Netherlands mainly come from Southern Europe. Turkey is the largest producer of figs. The fresh figs are available from June and July. Although you can also grow figs in the Netherlands, there are hardly any Dutch figs for sale in the shops. If you have space in your garden in a sheltered spot, you can easily plant your own fig tree there. The Dutch figs are at the earliest in August and September. You cannot keep fresh figs for too long. So eat them quickly when you have bought them and store them out of the fridge if necessary. You can also poach, syrup, dry, preserve or freeze the figs. Figs are of course also very suitable for making jam.

Besides fresh figs you can also buy dried figs. Usually these are Turkish or Spanish copies. The Spanish fig is smaller than the Turkish one. Wheat flour is also sprinkled over the Spanish variety, so that the fig remains smooth and soft and does not stick. It is best to buy dried figs from September to the end of January when the new harvest is in the shops. Dried figs should look fresh and not dull. Older figs often have sugar crystals and are hard and tough. You can buy grown figs out of season.

A sweet taste is one of the important characteristics of the fig. Certainly the dried specimen is sometimes used as a substitute for candy or even sugar, but that does not make it any less healthy. It contains a large amount of fiber and is therefore beneficial for digestion. In addition, the fig is packed with minerals including potassium, calcium, manganese, iron and magnesium. The fig is also traditionally used as a medicine for sore throats and the fig, in combination with milk, is said to be conducive to a healthy sex life. However, there is insufficient scientific basis for the latter two.