Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Basic facts about figs
• Part 2 of 3: This is how you eat fresh figs
• Part 3 of 3: This is how you eat dried figs
• Warnings
• Necessities

Figs have a slightly sweet taste and a wonderful sweet scent. They are usually eaten dried, but fresh figs are also very tasty. You can eat figs separately, but they can also be combined with other flavors and ingredients. Below you can read in which different ways you can eat figs.

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Part 1 of 3: Basic facts about figs

1. Fresh and dried figs. Figs cannot withstand the cold and are difficult to transport. In colder areas or in winter, you will therefore not often see fresh figs, but dried figs are available all year round in most supermarkets.
   • Both fresh and dried figs are healthy. They contain 37 calories per 50 grams, an average of 1.45 g fiber, 116 mg potassium (potassium), 0.06 mg manganese and 0.06 mg vitamin B6.
2. Only eat ripe figs. The precise size and color of a ripe fig varies depending on the variety, but a ripe fig is always tender. A ripe fig yields when you press it and gives off a strong, sweet scent.
   • Do not eat hard figs or figs with deep cracks or unsightly spots. It is best to eat a fig with a few small scratches on it, because that will not affect the taste or the quality of the fruit.
   • Also, don't eat figs if you think they have mold or figs with a sour or rotting odor.
   • The color of a ripe fig can vary from green, brown and yellow to dark purple.
   • Always eat as fresh as possible. After harvesting, figs will keep for 2-3 days in the refrigerator, but will spoil quickly afterwards.
3. Clean fresh figs before eating them. Rinse the figs with cold water and then carefully dry them with clean kitchen paper.
   • Because figs are so delicate, you should never brush them clean with a vegetable brush. Gently wipe off any dirt with your fingers.
   • While you wash the figs, you can gently twist the stems off with your fingers.
4. Remove any sugar crystals on the figs. You do this by sprinkling the figs with a little water (a teaspoon for half a cup of figs) and putting them in the microwave on the highest setting for a minute.
   • Ripe figs often secrete a type of sugar syrup that crystallizes on the outside. Figs with such crystals are still perfectly edible, but you can remove them for the face and for a smoother texture.

Part 2 of 3: This is how you eat fresh figs

1. Eat the fig whole. Figs have a slightly sweet taste and you can eat them whole fresh.
   • The skin of a fig is also edible. You do not have to peel a fig before eating. All you have to do is remove the stem and then you can eat the fig with the skin and all.
   • If you don't like the texture of the skin, you can peel it off before eating the fig. First remove the stalk and then carefully peel off the skin with your fingers. Start at the top at the hole where the stem was.
   • You can also eat just the inner part without peeling the fig, simply by cutting it in half. Gently hold the fig in one hand and cut it in half lengthwise with a sharp knife. This way you can eat the sweet inside straight away and the taste comes into its own even better.
2. Serve figs with a sour type of cheese. A classic way to serve fresh figs is raw with a little soft cheese or some other spreadable dairy spread on top. The dairy product must be sweet or sour and not salty or spicy.
   • Cut the figs in half and put a spoonful of soft cream cheese on each half. You can use either pure cream cheese or flavored cream cheese. This is a delicious snack or appetizer.
   • Melt a piece of blue cheese in the fig. Remove the stems and make a small intersection (in the shape of an "x") at the top of the fig with a knife. Put some blue cheese in the opening and put the figs in the oven at about 200 degrees for 10 minutes.
   • The taste of figs also goes very well with slightly fattier dairy products such as mascarpone or crème fraîche.
3. Poach the figs. You can poach figs on the stove or in a so-called slow cooker. Use about half a liter (500 ml) of water for every 8 figs.
   • Instead of water, you can also poach the figs in fortified wine or in wine cooked with spices such as cinnamon, cloves and anise. You can also use fruit juice or vinegar with a flavor such as balsamic vinegar.
   • Let the figs boil over a very low heat for 10 to 15 minutes.
   • Cook the figs over low heat in the slow cooker for 23 hours.
   • You can eat poached figs with yogurt, creamy dairy products, or ice cream.
4. Preserve the figs. Mix 450 g chopped figs with 115 g sugar in a saucepan. Let the mixture simmer on very low heat for half an hour until it is thick and viscous.
5. Use figs in pastries. You can use figs as an ingredient in breads, cakes, cupcakes and other flour based baked goods.
   • Combine figs with other fruits. For example, you can add chopped figs to your favorite oven apple crumble recipe, or to recipes for cakes or desserts that include raspberry, lemon or orange.
   • Uses figs as the main ingredient. Instead of combining figs with other fruits, you can also make baked goods with figs as the main ingredient. For example, you can bake a fig cake or add chopped figs to the batter of a regular cake or, for example, a yogurt cake.
   • Use figs as a garnish. Figs halved or quartered make a chic garnish for a cake or dessert. Figs look especially nice on a cake covered with a layer of thick, creamy icing, made with cream cheese, for example, or on cakes that contain almonds or other types of nuts.

Part 3 of 3: This is how you eat dried figs

1. Just like that, straight out of the box. You can eat dried figs alone, just like raisins or other dried tropical fruits. In this way figs are a simple and healthy snack.
2. Let the figs soak. If you're using dried figs in a recipe, you may want to soak them first to make them bigger and juicier.
   • You can also soak the dried figs overnight in water or juice.
   • If you want the figs to absorb even more water, you can boil them in water or fruit juice for a few minutes.
   • When you are swelling or boiling the figs, use enough liquid that the figs are just covered.
3. Use dried figs for baking. You can add both dried and soaked figs to many baking recipes.
   • Figs do especially well in bread, cake, muffin and cookie recipes, and less well in open cakes such as flans or crust pastries. You can mix the dried figs into the batter before putting the baking in the oven.
   • Use figs in place of other dried fruits. Instead of baking oatmeal cookies with raisins, you can bake oatmeal cookies with figs. Or, instead of using candied cherries, stir dried figs into your cake batter.
4. Add figs to your oatmeal or other porridge. Or sprinkle some dried figs over your muesli or cornflakes. The figs give your breakfast a nice sweet flavor boost.
5. Add some figs to the yogurt or quark. For breakfast or light lunch, try yogurt or cottage cheese with a handful of dried figs. The flavor of the figs pairs surprisingly well with these creamy, tart dairy products.

Warnings

• If you've ever had severe kidney disease, ask your doctor if you can eat figs. Figs contain oxalates, a natural substance that can be harmful when stored in your blood. Normally, your kidneys allow the oxalates to leave your body, but unhealthy kidneys cannot.

Necessities

• Paper towel
• Knife