Fig

Fig trees are native to the eastern Mediterranean and to western Asia.  They do best in drier climates as rain can damage the delicate, thin-skinned fruit.  That skin is green, purpling as it ripens, and becoming brown when dried.  Figs have a soft rind and a sweet, meaty interior with pulpy seeds; the entire fruit is edible.  Because figs are so fragile and difficult to transport, they are mainly consumed as a dried fruit in the United States. 

Figs are a high energy food.  They are also an excellent source of minerals, providing large amounts of calcium, potassium, manganese, magnesium, iron, phosphorous and copper.  One eight-ounce serving of dried figs provides more than 58% of the Recommended Daily Allowance of fiber.

By themselves, they are enjoyed as a snack food, but figs are widely consumed in both sweet and savory dishes.  They are favored, along with nuts and olives, as a complement to cheese plates.  They are a delicious condiment in dishes from tapenades to kebabs.  In addition, figs are used in jams and in baked sweets such as cookies and fruitcakes.