Fruit
Fig
HigoFigaFicus carica
Fig trees crop twice: brebas (early figs) at the start of summer, on last year's wood, and the true figs at the end. That's why figs take a break in July.
When
Around: Jun · Aug–Sept · At its best: Aug–Sept
Around: Jun · Aug–Sept · At its best: Aug–Sept
Around: Feb–Mar · Dec · At its best: Feb–Mar
Around here
Half the Mediterranean has a fig tree on the edge of a field, and in Catalonia it's one of the fruits most often eaten without ever going through a shop. A prized variety in Catalan-speaking lands and Mallorca is «coll de dama» (lady's neck), white or black. Mallorca keeps hundreds of varieties, and dried figs go into pa de figa, a pressed fig cake.
At the market
- It should give when pressed and droop from its stem, not stand stiff.
- A drop of syrup at the eye or slightly cracked skin is a good sign.
- If white sap comes from the stem, it was picked too early and won't improve.
- Avoid any that smell fermented or have wet patches.
At home
- Among the shortest-lived fruits: eat them within a day or two.
- In the fridge, in a single layer on paper, not piled up; take them out a while before eating so the flavour comes back.
- Don't wash them until you're about to eat them.
If you have too much
- Fig jam, plain or with a strip of lemon or cinnamon; superb with cheese.
- Dry them halved in the sun or in a very low oven, and keep them for winter.
- Freeze them whole or halved on a tray; later, use them for jam or baking.
- Roast them with honey and thyme and keep any leftovers in the fridge for a few days.
In the kitchen
- Split into a cross with cured ham or goat's cheese.
- In a salad with rocket, walnuts and a little balsamic vinegar.
- Baked with honey and fresh cheese for a quick pudding.
- With foie gras or a country pâté on toast.
- Dried figs with almonds or walnuts, for winter.
“As they say in Spanish: from figs to brebas — once in a blue moon.”
What it brings
Per 100 g, raw.
- Energy
- 74 kcal
- Water
- 79% water
- Carbs
- 19.2 g
- Sugars
- 16.3 g
- Fibre
- 2.9 g
- Protein
- 0.8 g
Stands out for
It isn't a «source» of anything by the EU rules: you eat it because it's good, which is plenty.
Data from the USDA (FoodData Central). See the full table ↗ · How we decide what stands out
Goes with
- GrapeAug–OctGrapes don't ripen once picked: the bunch you take home won't get any sweeter. You choose well at the stall or not at all.
- MelonJun–SeptPicking a melon is famously a lottery, and there's some truth in that. But they don't all behave alike: cantaloupes keep ripening at home, while piel de sapo barely does.
- PlumJun–SeptPlums come in every colour, from the green of greengages to purple so dark it's nearly black. The white dust on the skin is the plum's own bloom, not a spray: if it's intact, the fruit has barely been handled.