Ficus carica L or Common Fig is a delicious fruit. The name Ficus carica comes from two words in Latin. Ficus is a word that was designated both to the fig tree and to his fruit: the fig. Carica, is another word for the fig. It is said that it is native to Caria (Kapiain Greek), a historical region located in fromer western Asia, today the Southwest of Turkey.

Common Fig tree varieties

The fruits are diverse and there are many different varieties.  Some trees produce two crops a year; in June the “brevas” figs (in Spanish) which are bigger and less sweet than the “higos” figs, which arrive between the end of August and the beginning of September.

Historical ficus caricia uses

We find some interesting mentions of the fruit, for example, in the book of Genesis (3:7).  In it we can read about how Adam and Eve covered their nudity with fig leaves, after having sinned.  In ancient Rome, the fig was considered a sacred tree. The Roman myth tells of how Romulus and Remus were suckled by a Capitoline wolf under a fig tree.

The fruit was also an essential food for the Greeks. According to the story, it was Plato’s favorite delicacy, which is why the fig is called the “fruit of the philosophers”.

Galenus was a doctor, surgeon and Greek philosopher. He ordered athletes to eat figs to replenish their strength.

Hippocrates, the father of medicine, used them to lower his patients’ temperatures.

The fig tree came to the Peninsula from Constantinople under Abderrahman II’s reign. The fruit was a very important part of the medieval Muslim diet, much more than in the Christian zones in the rest of the Iberian Peninsula.  It was eaten fresh as well as cooked or dried.  Even in times of shortage the seeds were used to make flour and to cook bread that was rich in nutrients.  They used the cooked leaves as a remedy against toothaches.

They property

One of the fig’s most important properties is its high energy content.  It is good for pregnant women, children and people with physical or mental fatigue. In addition, figs are excellent laxatives and perfect to smooth over an irritated throat.   They are rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals.

The fig is real treasure, so do not miss the opportunity to eat figs this summer. If you have never seen a fig tree, join a guided visit with Miriam Tourist Guide that will offer you this new experience.