They Came from a Tree! Figs

POSTED: Tuesday, July 22, 2008, 3:27 PM

Photo | Tami Fertig

Not the same.

Eating a new fruit.

I always kinda knew that figs were not just Fig Newtons, but if you asked me, what's a fig? I might still point to a Newton and explain that it's a crumbly cookie envelope containing a moist, sticky jam. Then I saw a little box of real figs — fresh figs — at the Fitler Square farmers market (every Saturday, 10 a.m.-2 p.m.), and they didn't look or taste anything like the kind from the box.

Imagine, instead, a sleek, pink-ish, yellow-ish blob (or just look to your right). The folks at Wilmington, Del.'s Highland Orchards sell four or five of them for $5 and recommend just washing them and popping them in your mouth (provided they are soft and ripe, which they were). I followed these instructions and experienced a variety of textures: the gooier-than-Newton insides; the crunchy seeds; the thin, silky skin. Tasted a bit like a peach or a plum, only much sweeter.

Though figs were one of the first fruits recognized as yummy to humans (remnants have been found in sites dating back to at least 5,000 B.C.), fresh ones are not sold so frequently anymore. Part of the reason is they're extremely perishable (eat them within one or two days of buying them, or else!). Of course, you can always preserve them — get helpful tips here — or bake a batch of newtons yourself.

Too many heath benefits to list here, but it's worth mentioning that figs have a whole freaking lot of fiber, which could be very good or very inconvenient, depending on the rest of your diet. Anyhoo. People also say they've got aphrodisiac qualities because of the way their insides look. And how do they look, you ask? You'll have to eat one to find out.

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