The other day I finally tried fresh figs.Yes I have never had the pleasure of having a fresh fig before. So.... I was the new food trier of the condo complex. I have been privy to the Fig Newton and the dried kind of fig for years but have never had the opportunity to have a fresh fig. I have had them roasted, and barbecued and on a pizza but never fresh.When I was in Greece a few years ago I saw many fig trees in peoples yards and in the wild from island to island and on the mainland...but it was May/June and they were not in season. So yet again I did not get the opportunity to try them. You might say it has taken me a while to jump on the bandwagon!!!!!
It may be hard to tell from the photo but there are 3 different types of figs available at the Italian market at the moment. Not knowing much about figs myself, and not having any experts around on the subject, I had to Google them to find out the types. Three types of figs offered the perfect opportunity to have an impromptu taste testing. I wasn't terribly successful on finding out the names of these figs except the middle one with the pale yellow skin.
Do you know the name of these figs?
1) The first in the background with the deep eggplant coloured skin they simply called a Greek Fig in the store. It was 3 times the price of the others having travelled the furthest. I wonder what it's actual name is?
2) Calimyrna figs grow in California. Apparently minute pollinator wasps are responsible for fruit set. The crunchy seeds impart a superior nutty flavor to these delicious figs. These were my favourite - so sweet and juicy. It is in the foreground.
3) Don't have a name for the whole globular shaped fig on the left. It was rather bland and spongy in texture. Perhaps it was an unripe Mission Fig which has the same shape but according to every description it oozes juice and this fig did not.
What is your favourite way to prepare them?
