Tag: Fig

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In The Media

Fig: the sweet fruit – Taste&Flavors

Fig: Taste&Flavors

Common fig or Ficus Carica, is one of the oldest fruit trees native to the Mediterranean region, more specifically the Middle East where remnants of fig cultivation dating back to 5,000 BC have been found in Jordan, Syria and Iraq.

Fig: Taste&Flavors

Check out the full article in Taste&Flavors magazine.

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Recipes

Whole fig jam or mrabba el-teen kwez

"Abou enek" or figs with peduncle
"Abou enek" or figs with peduncle
“Abou enek” or figs with peduncle

The whole fig fruit is preserved with its peduncle (tail) and serves as a very sweet dessert. Mastic and geranium leaves are added to the jam to enrich its taste and aromatize it.

Ingredients:

1 kg of small sized white figs

500 g of sugar

1 liter of water

Juice of 1 lemon

4-5 pebbles of gum Arabic (mastic), grounded

5 geranium leaves, washed

1 cup of sesame seeds, roasted

Preparation:

  1. Rinse the figs and drain them. Dry them with a cloth before cooking and make sure you keep the peduncle (tail)
  2. In a cooking pot, prepare the syrup by heating the sugar and water over medium fire
  3. When the syrup starts boiling, remove the froth when formed and add the figs
  4. Keep stirring gently with a wooden spatula until the mixture boils again and begins to thicken
  5. Add the lemon juice, gum Arabic and geranium leaves and stir for 10 mns
  6. When the jam is thick enough, stir-in the sesame seeds and turn the fire off
  7. Remove the geranium leaves and pour the jam in sterilized glass jars. Make sure the figs are fully covered with syrup
  8. Close the jars tight and turn them upside down to avoid the formation of air pockets. Leave to cool overnight
Categories
Recipes

Fresh figs jam

The color of fig jam depends on the fruits color
Green and black figs make delicious jams
Green and black figs make delicious jams

Fresh fig fruits are processed into a spreadable jam, great for sandwiches and healthy energetic snacks. To make one 1 kilo of fig jam, you need:

Ingredients:

1 kg of small sized white figs

600 g of sugar

Juice of 1 lemon

4-5 pebbles of gum Arabic (mastic), grounded

5 geranium leaves, washed

1 cup of sesame seeds, roasted

The color of fig jam depends on the fruits color
The color of fig jam depends on the fruits color

Preparation:

  1. Rinse the figs and drain them. Make sure they are dry before trimming their peduncles (tails)
  2. In a heavy-bottomed cooking pot, layer the figs and sugar starting with a layer of sugar in the bottom and leave to soak overnight
  3. On the next day, bring the mixture to boil while continuously stirring with a wooden spatula to completely dissolve the sugar and avoid it from sticking to the pot sides and bottom
  4. Add the lemon juice as soon as the mixture starts boiling and remove froth when it is formed
  5. Incorporate the mastic and the geranium leaves and boil for 30 mns
  6. When the syrup starts evaporating, add the roasted sesame and stir for few more minutes until the jam has thickened. Remove away from fire
  7. Let cool down before pouring the jam into sterilized glass jars and closing tight. Don’t forget to remove the geranium leaves
  8. Refrigerate after opening

 

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Eat Local

Fig, the sweet summer fruit

figs_fhf

Common fig or Ficus Carica, is one of the oldest fruit trees native to the Mediterranean region, more specifically the Middle East where remnants of fig cultivation dating back to 4000 – 5000 BC were found in Jordan, Syria and Iraq. The fruit was later introduced to Africa and America. Varieties of figs are countless (around 700 varieties are identified around the world) and usually their Arabic names refer to their shape, color or taste like for instance “Aswad” means black, “Biyyadeh” means white, “Abou Enek” refers to the fruit with a long peduncle (tail), “Shtawi” refers to the late variety that ripens towards the end of summer, “Aassali” indicates the sweet honey taste of the fruit, “Shammouti” means elongated and “Bouaidi” means oval etc.

Sweet sweet figs! a great source of energy
Sweet sweet figs! 

Fig cultivation in Lebanon is an old agricultural activity spread around the country. In 2004, the production of white fig alone reached 9,600 tons. Fig is consumed fresh during summer days and various preserves are prepared for winter: jams are produced both from green or dry fruits, dried figs are savored during cold days with nuts and raisins, and fig molasses, a tradition that is fading away, can also be prepared.

 

[quote] Nutrition Corner: Figs are well renowned for their unique taste and texture that combines the smoothness of their flesh and the crunchiness of their seeds. Fresh or dried, figs are loaded with fiber and many beneficial nutrients such as vitamins A & B’s, iron, calcium, potassium and more! Enjoy your figs!

 (1 medium fresh fig (50g) = 37 calories; 1 dried fig (8g) = 21 calories) [/quote]

 

fig ....
Dried black figs ready to be steamed

Activities on darb el karam – Food trail include harvesting figs with local producers in the West Bekaa and Higher Shouf, and participating in jams preparation, fig drying and “fig steaming” or “tehbil” in Arabic.

fig jam
Gold fig jam prepared in Maasser el Shouf