Beautiful Botanicals: Rich history of the poor man’s food
Steeped in history the fig has endured the test of time as one of the most universally enjoyed fruits.
Scientific name Ficus carica, the fig is a species of deciduous tree or large bush in the Moraceae family.
Believed to be indigenous to Anatolia also known as Asia Minor, the fig spread beyond the Mediterranean region, reaching as far north as England in the 1500s, when it was already reported as being cultivated in China.
In the Mediterranean region the fig is so widely used, both fresh and dried, that it is called ‘the poor man’s food’.
The botanical grows from one metre up to 12 metres in height.
The fig has a smooth white bark and large leaves which have three to five deep lobes.
The fruit of the botanical referred to as syconium, a type of multiple fruit is tear-shaped three to five centimetres long, with a green skin, which may ripen to a purplish-brown colour.
The sweet soft reddish flesh of the fig contains crunchy seeds, whilst the branches of the botanical contain a milky sap which looks like latex.
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Figs dated to between 9200-9400BC were found at a Neolithic site in the Jordan Valley.
Nine whole figs, measuring just 1.8 centimetres across, plus circa 300 fig pips, were discovered in a house in the early Neolithic village of Gilgal I by a team of researchers from Bar-Ilan University in Israel and Harvard University in the United States of America. The researchers suggest that the variety of figs found on the archaeological site could have only been grown with human intervention and therefore these domesticated figs may represent the earliest evidence for agriculture.
The species epithet carica refers to the Caria region in South-Western Turkey (Türkiye) known for growing figs.
The Ancient Greeks settled Caria, in the Early Iron Age (1200-700BC) and exported fig trees back home to Greece. The fig soon became one of the principal articles of sustenance among the Ancient Greeks and cooked figs were used as a sweetener in Ancient Greece and Rome as the botanical contains over 50 per cent sugar.
In Chapter 19 of his encyclopaedic Naturalis Historia - Natural History - the Roman author and naturalist Gaius Plinius Secundus (circa 23/24-79AD), better known as Pliny the Elder states that there were 29 varieties of figs known to the Romans. Pliny also states in Chapter 20 of Naturalis Historia that a fig tree was carefully cultivated in the Forum in Rome in memory of a thunderbolt which once fell on that spot.
In traditional medicine the fruit of the botanical is used as a laxative to relieve constipation, whilst the fig leaf is used to lower blood pressure and treat diabetes, high cholesterol and skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and vitiligo. Practitioners of traditional medicine also apply the latex-like milky sap of the botanical directly to a patient’s skin to treat tumours and warts. Being high in fibre, figs also give a feeling of fullness and are often used as a dietary aid. Figs are also a reliable source of potassium and Vitamin B.
Smooth-skinned and lusciously sweet, figs have a unique taste and texture, with slightly chewy flesh peppered with tiny, crunchy seeds.
The high sugar content of the botanical pairs perfectly with similarly intense flavours, adding a burst of sweetness to savoury dishes and a distinctive texture and aroma to sweet treats including biscuits, chutneys, jams, meat dishes, and salads.
In gin production figs are used to give the spirit a sweet, sticky, honey taste. Distillers may use the entire fig; others might mash up the internal flesh. When distilling with the skin of the botanical the spirit will take on more of the earthy tones left on the outside of the fig.
Joanne Howdle is interpretation and engagement manager at the multi-award-winning Dunnet Bay Distillers Ltd.
