30+ Figs

Figs are thought to have been the first plant food to be domesticated. There is evidence that they were cultivated more than 11,000 years ago in the West Bank of Palestine.

Many scholars think the apple tree in the Garden of Eden was a mistranslation of a fig tree. This fits with Adam and Eve making clothes out of fig leaves to cover their nakedness. Michelangelo's painting, in the Sistine Chapel, has a fig tree rather than an apple tree.

Figs grow inside out. Inside a fig is a collection of flowers. Consequently, the fig requires a specialist pollinator, the fig wasp, which enters the fig through a small hole at the bottom. The female wasp lays eggs in a male fig. She then usually dies inside the fig. The young males hatch first and impregnate the females before they are hatched. The males die while the females pick up pollen and find a new fig which they pollinate and lay eggs in. Enzymes in the figs break down the bodies of the dead wasps.

If you don't like the idea of dead wasp figs, there are many varieties that are parthenocarpic. This means growth of the fruit is stimulated by plant hormones rather than pollination and fertilisation.

Figs contain B vitamins, vitamins C and K, copper, manganese, potassium, magnesium, calcium and iron. They are a good source of fibre. Their phytonutrients are anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. They can help with hormone balance and heart, vascular and digestive health. Syrup of figs has traditionally been used as a laxative.

Figs can be eaten raw or grilled or roasted. They can be added to salads, tarts, cookies, cakes and smoothies. They can be made into compotes, chutneys and ice-cream.