Ingredient

Fig

A fig does not ripen after picking, and an unripe fig is rubbery, faintly milky and dull. Since figs bruise, split and mould within days, shops pick them early and the result is a fruit with a reputation for being both expensive and boring. A ripe one is neither.

What you are actually eating

A fig is not a fruit in the ordinary sense but an inverted cluster of flowers, growing inwards into a fleshy hollow receptacle. The crunchy specks inside are the individual seeds of hundreds of tiny flowers.

This is why a fig has no core, no stone and no obvious structure, and why the texture is jammy right through rather than firm at the edge and soft in the middle.

It also explains the milky sap at the stem of an unripe fig, which is an enzyme-rich latex that can irritate skin. In a ripe fig there is very little of it, and its presence is a reliable sign that the fruit was picked too early.

Telling a ripe one

Almost all of this is done by hand and eye at the shop.

Feel

Heavy and soft, giving right through like a slightly deflated balloon. A firm fig will not come good.

Shape

A ripe fig droops and the neck bends. An upright, taut fig is unripe.

Splits

Small cracks in the skin are a good sign, not damage. They open as the sugary interior swells.

A drop of syrup

A bead of nectar at the eye at the base is the best single indicator there is.

Smell

Sweet and faintly honeyed. A fig that smells sour or fermented has gone.

What to do with them

• Raw, torn open, with something salty. Prosciutto, blue cheese, ricotta, a good oil. This is the fig at its best.
• Roasted with honey and thyme, twelve minutes in a hot oven, which is the standard rescue for underwhelming fruit.
• Grilled on a griddle pan, halved, cut side down, until charred.
• Fig and almond tart, quartered and pressed into frangipane.
• Fig jam or chutney, where they are low in acid and pectin and need lemon and often a partner fruit.
• With duck, pork or lamb, roasted alongside so the juices caramelise.
• Dried, in a stuffing or a stew, where they behave like a sweeter, seedier prune.

Handling and storing

Figs are among the shortest-lived fruits in the shop.

1. Take them out of the punnet on arrival and check the base of each one for mould, which starts at the eye.
2. Keep them at room temperature if you are eating them within a day. Cold flattens the flavour entirely.
3. For longer than that, refrigerate on a plate in a single layer, and bring them back to room temperature for at least half an hour before eating.
4. Do not wash until the moment of use, and then only wipe with a damp cloth.
5. To freeze, halve and open-freeze. They collapse on thawing, so use them only for cooking.

Common questions