ISHS Acta Horticulturae 480: I International Symposium on Fig
WHY FIGS? AN OLD TASTE AND A NEW PERSPECTIVE |
| Author: | U. Aksoy |
| Abstract:
Fig is among the oldest fruits and is known to man from time immemorial. It is a native tree of the Middle East. Its cultivation was first realised in the fertile valleys of the Arabic peninsula. Through the aquatic tribes, it was distributed first around the Mediterranean Sea and then to America. Its ability to be dried provided ease in distribution. Its movement towards the east was rather slow due to the rainy and humid climate of southern and southeastern Asia. Around the Mediterranean, it is accepted as a friendly fruit since it is frequently found at home yards or on the borders of fields. Even in Britain, fig was accepted as an essential element in landscaping home gardens (Condit, 1947). The fig fruit is mentioned as a sacred fruit in all of the holy books. In the Bible, it is generally referred to as a tree in the Garden of Eden. It is a traditional food in the Jewish Passover celebration. In the Koran, Mohamed mentions that if he has to make a choice it would be the fig tree that would be brought to Heaven. Siddharta Gautama received the revelation that formed the basis of Buddhism while sitting under a fig tree. In all the great cultures and religions, the fig tree is used as a symbol (Ferguson et al., 1990). After the 1970's, there was a decline in the fig production of many Mediterranean countries which were the major producers of dried figs due to increasing cost of hand labour. Recently, there is an increasing interest mainly for the fresh market. During the last decades, commercial production and worldwide trade of figs became limited to a few countries like Turkey, Greece, U.S.A. and Brazil, the latter being destined for the fresh market. In the other countries where a Mediterranean climate prevails, fig trees can be found everywhere but their commercial value is more limited. Fig trees can be adapted to rather marginal conditions quite easily. Although varietal differences are large, the fig tree is known to be tolerant to high soil calcium content, salinity and drought (Golombek and Lüdders, 1990). Single (breba or main crop) or double cropping (breba+main crop) varieties provide a long marketing season. Application of growth regulators to break dormancy, enhance ripening or to increase fruit set can be helpful tools to arrange harvest periods according to the demand of the market besides the climatic or varietal differences (Crane et al., 1970; Erez and Shulman, 1982). The edible fig and caprifig fruits can be utilised in various ways, the most common being fresh and dried. Dried figs can be directed to table consumption or for processing as paste or canned. Fig paste can be used in confectionary as mixed with nuts, fig bars or biscuits. In fig paste, the seeds can be grinded or kept as whole depending upon the request of the buyer. Dried or fresh female figs and caprifigs can be put in syrup and sold as jam. After harvest, the leaves can be used as animal feed. Cull figs are also high-energy sources for animals. Lower quality dried figs can be utilised as coffee ingredient or as juice concentrate. Leaves are used as raw matter in the pharmaceutical industry due to the high content of bergaptene and psarolene. Ficin, a proteolytic enzyme found in fig shoots and in immature fruits is known to be a unique meat tenderiser. It is also used as a chillproofing agent in the beer industry, as a substitute for rennet in coagulation of milk, and for removing casings from formed sausages (Cormier et al., 1989). Fig fruits are known as healthy fruits due to their high dietary fiber and mineral contents. High reducing sugars make it an energy food for children (Bolin and King, 1980). In terms of organic or low-input agriculture, it can be successfully grown in an | |
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