Fig fruit nutrition facts

Delicious, sweet fig fruit is one of the popular fruits enjoyed since ancient times. Fig is rich in natural health benefiting phyto-nutrients, anti-oxidants and vitamins. Completely developed and ripe fig features bell or pear shape with succulent juicy flesh inside. Dried figs, indeed, are highly concentrated source of minerals and vitamins.

Fig tree is native to temperate regions of Asia Minor or Turkey, and today, grown as an important fruit of commerce in the eastern Mediterranean climates, USA, and Spain. It also cultivated as a fruit tree in the home gardens in many other regions as well. During each season, fig bears several hundreds of pear-shaped fruits twice a year, which vary in size and color depending on the variety.

Interiorly, fig fruit features numerous, tiny club shaped ovaries extending towards central hollow cavity. In their natural habitat, “caprifigs” pollinated by tiny "gall wasp" (Blastophaga psenes) insect that enters flower clusters through a small opening at the apex.

Several cultivars of fig exist; some of the popular varieties commonly grown in the USA are Brown Turkey, Conadria, Kadota, and Black mission. However, since the wasp do not exist in the North America, most of these fruits develop by parthenogenesis (without pollination) and therefore, do not possess true seeds