The fig: all its properties and benefits

Anyone who has enjoyed scent 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 designed on purpose by the best chef in the world.

The fig tree belongs to the genus of ficus. It loses its leaves in autumn and regrows in spring. It is known as ficus carica because it is supposed to originate from Caria, southwest of Anatolia, in present-day Turkey. 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 Turkey, Egypt, Greece, Morocco and Spain, mainly Huesca, Lérida, Ávila, Cáceres, Murcia and Alicante. Outside the Mediterranean area, the United States and Brazil stand out.

exist between 700 and 800 varieties of fig trees throughout the world, of which about 300 are cultivated for human consumption. In Spain, most of the crops use a dozen of them, such as the Blanca de Maella, the Neapolitan Negra, the Colar, the Burjasot, the Cuello de Dama Blanca and Negra or the 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 slightly 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 of fresh figs, or 249 calories in the same amount of dried fig) and plenty of fiber, figs provide minerals such as calcium and magnesium, especially concentrated in the fig dry.

What minerals do figs provide?Potassium: It is the most abundant mineral in the fig: 232 mg/100 g in the fresh and 680 in the dry.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 dry fig respectively, it ensures the fixation of calcium:Match: It provides half that of calcium, the ideal proportion for the mineral balance of the skeleton and to keep the bones in good condition.Iron: dried figs help to obtain moderate doses of iron: a 50-gram serving covers 6% of the daily needs of women and 8% of those of men.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 from group B, such as B1, B5 and B6.

rich in fiber

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

health flavonoids

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

The most notorious group is that of flavonoids, which are found in higher concentration in the 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 must be highlighted.

In the dry ones, the nutritive 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 the fresh ones, to 30% or less in the dry ones.

Fig health benefits

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 the meal reduces the appetite. A delicious snack under 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 se 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 they are so succulent they have always been enjoyed as is, but they combine excellently with mushrooms like shitake; green leaves such as spinach, arugula, endives or watercress; with endives; with dried fruits; with garlic and chives; with tofu; with breads and masses of any kind.

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

Traditionally where they are most used is undoubtedly in desserts. There are plenty of recipes for fruit salads, sauces, jams, jams, cookies, breads, biscuits and bakery products in general, such as fig loaves, among them the famous of 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 sweet and sour canned preparation, typical of El Bierzo.

The dried ones can be obtained by naturally dried, 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 immerse them in salt water.

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

Its presentations in the market are more and more numerous, although some are difficult to find. The most classic and consumed is the whole dried fig naturally. A variant is floured, somewhat cheaper.

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 stay on the tree all winter as little 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 the Fraga varieties stand out. Among those that give figs and figs, the Bordisot or queen fig, the Burjasot, the Colar, the Franciscana or the Green Muscatel are popular.

Commercially, the most valued varieties are the brevas.

How to preserve figs

They tend to taste very ripe, with a wrinkled neck and a drop of nectar in the apical orifice, and once they reach that state they barely last. 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 not have any flavor.

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