Fresh figs fit right in with the current food trend to “eat locally,” because these fragile beauties don’t like to travel too far. Unlike peaches or bananas, which can be picked early, shipped around the world and ripened after purchase, the fruit of the fig tree won’t ripen off the tree and its thin skin requires that it be handled with utmost care. Once harvested, figs don’t last long either. Ripe figs can be stored three or so days in the refrigerator, kept dry and in a single layer, lightly wrapped because they are susceptible to mold.
With so many obstacles in the way of getting a fresh fig from the tree to your dining room table, it’s no wonder that they cost so much. However, local figs are worth the seasonal splurge. Just a few ripe fresh figs—in season from summer through mid-fall—can be a perfect accent on a memorable meal.
Easy Fresh Fig Uses
On the appetizer plate, figs are wonderful partnered with savory smoked meat, pungent cheese or toasted nuts. Though melon and thinly sliced prosciutto, or Italian cured ham, is a rightly famous pairing, fresh figs and prosciutto are a more sophisticated twist on the Mediterranean classic. Figs can also be used to replace grapes on a cheese plate, eaten together with a musky goat cheese or a sharp farmhouse cheddar.
Gently toss quartered figs with baby lettuces, smoked turkey breast, and toasted pine nuts and top it off with a blue cheese dressing for a satisfying meal in a salad. Figs also coexist happily with the flavors of grilled meat, caramelized onions, and foods flavored with ginger, orange or garlic.
Figs Are High In Fiber and Vitamins
Given their versatility, it’s little wonder that man has enjoyed figs from the earliest times. Anthropologists believe that figs were one of the first cultivated foods, predating even the farming of wheat and other grains. Pliny the Younger, a magistrate of ancient Rome was crazy about them. “Figs are restorative,” he wrote. “The best food that can be eaten by those who are brought low by long sickness and are on the way to recovery. They increase the strength of young people, preserve the elderly in better health and make them look younger with fewer wrinkles.”
Though it’s unlikely that figs will ever replace Oil of Olay as an anti-aging treatment, Pliny did have a point about the nutritional value of figs. They are rich in vitamins A, B1, B2, as well as calcium, iron, and potassium. Very high in fiber, figs also can help regulate digestion and can act as a natural laxative and diuretic.
Today, the most common fig varieties are Black Mission and Brown Turkey, which both have dark skin, and Katota, which is usually smaller with greenish skin and pink flesh. With very little flavor difference between the three varieties, they can all be used interchangeably in recipes.
Recipe: Grilled Fresh Figs with Proscuitto and Sage
Figs can be wrapped in everything from bacon to salami, but prosciutto crisps up nicely on the grill and gives this appetizer a nice summer in the Mediterranean feel.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
- Four fresh figs, any variety, washed, dried, stem removed
- Two slices of thinly sliced prosciutto, halved lengthwise
- Four fresh sage leaves
How to:
- Place sage leaf in center of each slice of prosciutto
- Wrap the meat and sage around the fresh fig and secure with a wooden toothpick
- Grill on high, 1 to 2 minutes, turning often until fig is warm and prosciutto has started to crisp
