How to eat figs: useful tips

Fresh berry is most valued, but you can try a fully ripened and scooped sweets only at the place of its growth. A higher sugar content starts the fermentation process within 1 - 2 days after removing it from the branch. From here came another name, wine berry. They eat it fresh, dried or dried. The peculiarity is that when dried, it retains most of the useful properties, and is stored several times longer than fresh.

Ancient plant with a modern name

It is known in many countries and is respected by everyone. The mention of fig is found in the Old Testament; among different peoples it is called a fig tree, wine berry, or, more commonly, figs.

Ancient Caria is considered to be the homeland, they cultivated it in Arabia, from where fig gradually spread to the countries of the Mediterranean, Central Asia, Transcaucasia, Iran, Krasnodar Territory. Due to the rich taste and benefits to the body, the Greeks banned the export of figs outside the country.

In ancient times, it was considered a symbol of wealth, health and longevity. There are about 1 thousand varieties. In the wild, the fig tree is almost never found. In the process of cultivation, many varieties were developed that differ in taste, color and size of the fruit. Some are great for fresh food, others tolerate the drying or drying process, acquiring new taste.

Important: dried figs contain 1/3 more sugars than fresh or frozen.

The most popular varieties are:

• Crimean black;
• Dalmatian;
• Abkhazian purple;
• Kadota;
• San Pedro
• Corderia
• Honey
• Temri.

Fresh figs
He is the most delicious, but he has a lot of vagaries. Unripened contains milky juice, which is quite nasty in taste. Overripe berries begin to ferment and are suitable only for making wine or mash. To enjoy treats, you should follow a few rules:

• completely ripe fruits are selected, they are soft, but do not blur in the fingers;
• there should be no sour smell warning that the juice inside is already spoiled;
• the skin is intact;
• no dents, gray coating.

Real figs can only be tasted from a branch or on a spontaneous market in the places where it grows. To miss such an opportunity is irrational. In other cases, buying it is useless. Completely ripened fruits do not tolerate transportation at all, and half-ripened will not pick up the desired sweetness. If you still happen to get fresh figs, then there are two ways.

1. Together with the skin and seeds, leaving only the upper "tail".
2. Cut in half and gently scrub the contents with a teaspoon without touching the skin.

To serve on a table, figs are cut into slices with a thin sharp knife, spread with the pulp up.

It should be remembered: people with diabetes can have no more than 1-2 berries.

Dried figs
Its advantages in long-term storage, free transportation, minimum conditions for transportation. It takes up little space, since the concentration of substances in dried fruits occurs with a decrease in humidity and volume.The most striking example will be the taste, which is much sweeter compared to a fresh product.

For drying, they choose small fruits of light varieties, they are less susceptible to fermentation, not so tasty in fresh form, but they are perfectly dried, do not grow moldy, acquire new taste shades, are perfectly stored in the refrigerator or just in a cool place.

They eat it like sweets; there is no need to perform special rituals on it.

To keep the treat longer, they put it in a linen bag, then in a container with a tight lid and put it in the refrigerator on a vegetable shelf. Regularly you need to open the jar and check the product for the safety of the initial qualities. White plaque that appears on the surface is normal, it can be determined from it that the sugar content in the product is high. The shelf life under the conditions reaches 11 - 12 months.

Sun-dried figs
It is softer compared to dried, is also able to be stored for a long time. It is prepared in two ways: in sugar syrup and without it. Berries are eaten as a dessert; they are added to cereals, salads, lamb and poultry sauces. Used to treat erectile dysfunction. To do this, a daily dose of figs is soaked overnight in milk and eaten instead of breakfast. 2-3 pieces are enough per day.

Beneficial features

They are stored in any form, except for heat treatment. The composition of the wine berry includes:

• vitamins;
• cellulose;
• folic acid;
• calcium;
• antioxidants;
• pectins;
• fruit sugars;
• beta carotene.

It is recommended to include the product in the daily diet for pregnant women and women who are only planning to conceive. Regular consumption of berries is useful for:

• high blood pressure;
• problems in gynecology;
• prostate;
• oppressed function of the respiratory system;
• body slagging;
• failures in the digestive tract;
• sleep disturbances.

The use of fresh, dried or sun-dried figs quickly replenishes the energy level during heavy physical exertion, prevents the development of anemia, accelerates regeneration, and reduces blood coagulation.

The product, with proper preparation, can replace chocolate, sweets, flour desserts. People on a weight loss diet should exclude figs from the diet or consume them in 1-2 small fruits no more than 3 times a week.

Please note: The calorie content of figs is very high, 255 kcal. on 100 gr.

Dishes with figs

Simple recipes will help replace pastries, purchased desserts with stabilizers and flavor enhancers. They do not require much time, are easy to prepare, retain most of the nutrients.

Hot biscuits
To prepare, you need:

• figs - 10 pcs;
• soft cottage cheese - 150 gr;
• honey - 5 tsp;
• butter 50 gr;
• sugar - 3 tsp;
• 1 egg
• vanillin.

First, the dough is made from flour and butter, in the process a little water is added as necessary. The mass is divided into 2 parts, placed in plastic bags and removed for 30 minutes. in the fridge.

Then honey, cottage cheese, vanilla and egg are mixed. Figs are cut into thin slices. The chilled dough is rolled out, the filling is placed on it, figs are laid out on top, the edges are wrapped up to the middle of the layer. Bake half an hour before browning the dough.

It is also worth trying to cook surprisingly tasty and simple dishes:

• pie with figs and honey;
• portioned chicken in fig sauce;
• pumpkin salad with figs, honey and nuts.

Delicious aromatic fruits are loved and recognized, they bring health, maintain vitamin balance and give vitality. The main thing is not to forget that excess leads to unpleasant consequences up to severe indigestion. And 3 to 5 pieces of ripe figs per day will do good.

Video: how to eat figs