Anyone who has enjoyed aroma of a fig tree At sunset you will need few words to understand that the fig is a unique fruit. Soft skin, honeyed pulp, aromatically sweet and with the crunchy touches of its seeds. They seem to have been purposely designed by the best chef in the world.

The fig tree belongs to the ficus genus. It loses its leaves in autumn and resprouts in spring. It is known as Ficus carica because it is supposed to originate from Caria, southwest of Anatolia, in modern-day Türkiye. It is a genuinely Mediterranean species, such as wheat bread, oil, grapes or nuts.

From the Mediterranean it spread to India and the Middle East, and much later to America. Today the main producers are Türkiye, Egypt, Greece, Morocco and Spain, mainly Huesca, Lérida, Ávila, Cáceres, Murcia or Alicante. Outside the Mediterranean area, the United States and Brazil stand out.

There are between 700 and 800 varieties of fig trees around the world, of which about 300 are grown for human consumption. In Spain, most crops use a dozen of them, such as Blanca de Maella, Napolitana Negra, Colar, Burjasot, Cuello de Dama Blanca y Negra or Moscatel.

Properties of figs

Perhaps because it is such a sweet and juicy fruit, many people believe that it has a lot of calories. However, its caloric intake if consumed fresh is only a little higher than that of apples.

And it also comes entirely from its natural sugars (glucose, fructose, sucrose). Its percentage of fats and proteins is negligible.

In addition to energy (74 calories coming mainly from the 14 g of carbohydrates found in 100 g fresh figs, or 249 calories in the same amount of dried fig) and a lot of fiber, figs provide minerals such as calcium and magnesium, especially concentrated in dried figs.

What minerals do figs provide?

• Potassium: It is the most abundant mineral in the fig: 232 mg/100 g in the fresh one and 680 in the dried one.
• Calcium: The fig is the fruit that contains the most calcium: 35 mg/100 g in the case of fresh figs and 162 mg in dried figs.
• Magnesium: With 17 mg and 68 mg per 100 grams of fresh and dried fig respectively, it ensures calcium fixation:
• Phosphorus: It provides half that of calcium, the ideal proportion for the mineral balance of the skeleton and to keep bones in good condition.
• Iron: Dried figs help obtain moderate doses of iron: a 50-gram serving covers 6% of women’s daily needs and 8% of men’s.
• Manganese: This trace element participates in the formation of bones and tissues, in blood coagulation, in the functions of insulin and in the synthesis of cholesterol.

Rich in vitamins

As for vitamins, vitamin K stands out and, in fresh figs, several of group B, such as B1, B5 and B6.

Rich in fiber

The fiber content (3 g per 100 g serving) is its most notable nutritional characteristic, including soluble and insoluble fibers.

Healthy flavonoids

In addition to the main nutrients, figs contain substances that are important in small quantities and give them part of their healthy qualities.

The most notable group is that of flavonoids, which are found in higher concentration in varieties of dark colored figs.

Differences between fresh and dried

Since figs are consumed fresh and dried, the differences in nutritional content between the two should be highlighted.

In dried foods, the nutritional values, for equal portions of equal weight of fruit, are concentrated, multiplying approximately by three, due to the loss of water, which goes from 80% in fresh ones to 30% or less in dry ones.

Health benefits of fig

The chemical composition of the fig justifies a series of beneficial actions in the body.

Metabolic and digestive health

Soluble fibers help control cholesterol and glucose levels in the blood and help regulate intestinal transit.

The insolubles also facilitate the intestinal transit and have a preventive effect on diseases such as colon cancer.

They can also help control weight thanks to its satiating effect. Eating two or three figs before a meal reduces appetite. A delicious snack with less than 70 calories!

Strong bones and nerves

Its minerals – especially calcium (35 mg/100 g) and magnesium (17 mg/100 g)– make them a suitable fruit to keep the nervous and musculoskeletal systems in good condition.

Good for the skin

A compound called psoralen It is successfully used in the treatment of skin conditions such as eczema or psoriasis.

How to cook fig

In traditional cuisine, there are not many recipes with fresh figs, perhaps because, being so succulent, they have always been enjoyed as is, but They combine excellently with mushrooms like shitake; green leaves such as spinach, arugula, escarole or watercress; with endives; with dried fruits; with garlic and chives; with tofu; with breads and doughs of any type.

As for the condimentsrosemary, oregano, sage, chives, mint and black pepper add richness.

Traditionally, where they are most used is undoubtedly in desserts. There are many recipes for fruit salads, sauces, jams, marmalades, cookies, breads, biscuits and bakery products in general, such as fig breads, among them the famous ones from Almería.

If you want to know how to cook prickly pear, here are some recipe recommendations.

Different presentations of the fig

The figs can be found as is, in syrup, candied or in a preserved sweet and sour preparation, typical of Bierzo.

The dried ones can be obtained by natural drying, the old-fashioned way, or artificially, in tray evaporators that dry them in hours.

To avoid fermentation, there are also several alternatives: the oldest, which is still used on small farms, is to first submerge them in salt water.

The other is to do it in a caustic soda solution. Many producers also fumigate them with sulfur dioxide, a preservative that gives them a more uniform tone.

Its presentations on the market are increasingly numerous, although some are difficult to find. The most classic and consumed is the naturally dried whole fig. A variant is flouring, something more economical.

What is the difference between figs and figs?

Many people confuse figs with figs, two similar fruits but with differences.

The Figs ripen from the end of July to November, although the best season is at the end of summer. The figs They are figs that fail to ripen in autumn. They remain on the tree all winter as small buds and in spring they complete their maturation. They are harvested in May and June.

Among the varieties that only produce figs, the Cuello de Dama and Fraga stand out. Among those that produce figs and figs, the Bordisot or queen’s fig, the Burjasot, the Colar, the Franciscana or the Green Moscatel are popular.

Commercially, the most sought-after varieties are the figs.

How to preserve figs

They usually like them very ripe, with the neck wrinkled and with a drop of nectar in the apical orifice, and once they reach that state they can barely stand 2 or 3 days in the refrigerator.

They should give a little to the touch. If they are hard, they may be green or, in the case of figs, so dry that they will have no flavor.

It is important do not hit them or pile them up so that they do not get crushed, and every day remove those that begin to deteriorate.