There is nothing like wedges of tender, sweet figs drizzled with warm custard. In fact, a fig pudding of any kind is one of the quintessential desserts that evokes nostalgia for us at Australia’s Best Recipes. Serving delicious sweet figs and smothering them with custard was an excellent strategy on the part of parents, who really were disguising what could be considered a laxative as an autumn dessert.
But what if I told you that this luscious laxative was not a fruit but a syconium? You’d probably pull your face and say, ‘come again?’
The truth is this tiny brown, bell-shaped package bursting with flavour (and fibre) is a tree stem that has expanded into a sac and contains flowers growing internally. The Fig tree is a marvel of nature, living 100 years and growing as high as 15 metres. It’s also seen its fair share of history.
Fig remnants are found in Neolithic sites dating from 5000 BC; figs are even carved on ancient Sumerian tablets from 2500 BC. Historians consider these ancient figs to be the progenitor of the plump, moist figs we eat today.
In the ancient world, figs were considered a medicinal food. Ancient Greeks, such as Pliny the Elder, extolled the syconium’s virtues as a restorative wonder food. The first Olympians even believed it was the reason for their athletic prowess. Symbolically, figs have held a prominent position in many world religions representing prosperity, sexuality and fertility.
If you’re going to use them domestically, though, right now is the perfect time to pick up a bunch of tender, succulent figs from the fresh food section and make delicious desserts like this fig and craisin fruit cake, which is a moist and morish fruit cake, ideal for the cooler months. Try this five-star fig jam or this fig and lavender jam spread over toast or scones or as the perfect accompaniment to cheese.
If the slow cooker is back on your benchtop, give it the task of this slow cooker fig paste which makes the most of a fig glut and, if stored properly in sterilised jars, should keep for months.
You can make clove panna cotta with fresh figs, poach your figs in brandy or even make these no-bake cookies using dried figs.
How to choose figs
Choose figs that are soft and yield to touch, but handle them with care to avoid bruising. Figs are best used straight away, but if you cannot use them immediately, store them in the fridge for up to a week or slice and freeze them.
More ways with fruit
100 recipes using up dried fruits
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