What is a fig, anyway?
Food facts can be fun.
Artichokes, for instance, are not really the fruit of the artichoke plant, but the flower. Capers, those delightful little green orbs that flavor our food, are marinated rosebuds. My husband clued me into those factoids even before we were married, answering a good many culinary questions when I used to hang out in the kitchen sampling the yummies he liked to prepare way back when.
But nobody, not a soul, ever told me that figs are really inverted flowers. Not such a bad concept until one tackles the botanical curiosity of how nature accommodates the pollination of such a flower. In comes the fig wasp. Literally, the female fig wasp crawls into the flower, not only pollinating it, but leaving behind wasp eggs. More often than not, entering the fig strips the female wasp of her wings, so mama also leaves her own decaying body for that added crunch on the inside. Not exactly a Cracker Jack prize.
Check out the details in the video below.
[jwplayer GdPkedbG]
No wonder my childhood recollections of figs amounted to: “Try it, you’ll like it.” That, and: “Trust me, it’s good.” Whether or not those admonishments are merely the watchword of fig fans attempting to spread the love, or the inside joke of those who also prefer their protein in bug form so long as it’s covered with chocolate, is up for debate. (Don’t think people actually buy chocolate-covered bugs? Visit Edible Insects website and peruse the cyber shelves.)
Yuck!
Yet, notes the Huffington Post, “According to Karla Stockli, the CEO of the California Fig Advisory Board, more than 95 percent of figs produced and sold commercially in California are self-pollinating. And luckily, many of the figs that we buy in the U.S. are from California. ‘California produces 100 percent of the nation’s dried figs and 98 percent of fresh figs under the best growing conditions and highest quality standards in the world.'”
So while the ignorant or the unconcerned feast away on figs, complete with their crunchy wasp cohorts, others can find solace and delight in the seedless variety.
Now wasn’t that fun?
Fantasy food you may want to try
I’m inspired!
In celebration of the famous “Lord of the Rings” author J.R.R. Tolkien’s 125th birthday on Tuesday, my youngest daughter is making Elven bread. That’s “Lembas Bread” in elf-speak, a bread so hearty that one bite is said to satisfy a man for an entire day. Of course, we had to opt for the more exotic recipe, requiring a trip to the international market for a bottle of rose water. (Smells sublime! No doubt, the preferred option of the more discriminating elf.)
But for those adventurous gourmands, those unafraid to venture even to Middle Earth to tickle the taste buds as well as one’s fancy, a quick tour of LOTR Fan Club Scrapbook will not disappoint.
The following is just a small sample of possible delights:
- Aragorn’s Athelas Tea
- Bag End Apple Bread
- Bilbo’s Orange Marmalade
- Breakfast Scones for Mr. Frodo
- Dwarven Women’s Pumpkin Cake
Curiouser and curiouser – that’s some strange fruit
One doesn’t need to venture to mythical Middle Earth to find edible curiosities. Check out the video below and let me know if you’ve ever tried some.
[jwplayer oXmtEKgT]
The Flying Fugu offers a couple more just plain weird (often translated as just “never tried”) specimens. Or are you familiar with fingered citron, also known as Buddha’s hand?
The fingered citron can be traced back to Northeast India and China. Unlike most citrus fruit, the fingered citron contains only a small amount of edible flesh and is predominantly comprised of bitter peel.
The fingers stretch around four to six inches in length and despite its often seedless and juiceless attributes, it has still been put to edible use by being candied or used as zest in cooking. The rind can also be added to salad or fish.”
How about a taste of Ugli fruit?
The Ugli fruit’s brand name is a fair description of its saggy, wrinkly, brownish skin, but doesn’t do justice to the sweetness inside. Native to Jamaica, the Ugli fruit has links with the citrus family.
The fruit’s taste is a combination of the sourness of grapefruit, the robustness of an orange and the tangy taste of a tangerine. When ripe, its slack brown skin morphs to orange and is sweeter than its tangerine and grapefruit relatives. It is versatile enough for salads, cheesecake and marmalade.
These little beauties don’t look that daunting!
The mangosteen can be traced back to the Sunda Islands, Malaysia, and is available through Southeast Asia. It has a hard, inedible dark purple skin and inside the white flesh is shaped like a garlic bulb but is sweet and juicy.
Be careful as seeds are tucked inside each of the segments and are bitter. The flesh is most often eaten raw, and in countries where there are restrictions on imports, mangosteen can sometimes be found canned or frozen.
What strange fruit have you tried? Was it good? Where did you get it? But most important, would you eat it again? Inquiring minds – and palates – need to know!
Predict the weather with a persimmon seed?
Want to know the winter forecast? Cut into a persimmon. Don’t believe it? Check out the video below:
[jwplayer gKmaYrzG]
