What are the differences between figs and figs?

Figs ready for consumption

Have you ever wondered what the differences are between figs and figs? Although they are both delicious, and produced by the same species of tree (ficus carica) It is important to know how to identify the characteristics of both so that there is no room for doubt when acquiring one variety or another.

So if you want to know the answer to this common question, then we are going to tell you.

Biferous fig trees, those that produce figs and figs

They are those that have a single fruiting but that, unlike the uniferous, this can be divided into two: the first would begin in summer, and the second during the spring of the following year. This is because they are more resistant to cold, which means that the fruits that come out from October (from the northern hemisphere) can survive the winter.

What are figs?

Briefs

Image - Wikimedia / Emi Yanez

The figs are the late fruits that sprouted the previous year and that, with the arrival of the spring heat, woke up and resumed their growth. Conclusion, for having had more time to grow, larger and meaty, with thinner and more brittle skin and little milky (with little latex).

They are harvested in early summer.

What are figs?

Figs are the fruits that were "born" that same year, in self-fertile female dioecious specimens (such as those that are usually found in fields that grow almost without receiving any type of care). They are white on the outside, with a thicker skin, and when they break a milky liquid comes out (latex). In addition, they are more aromatic than figs.

Its harvest season is from mid to late summer. They are good to eat fresh, to make jams or even to dry out.

What is the difference between fig and fig?

Both figs and figs come from the same tree, the fig tree o ficus carica. But the truth is that these two are actually very different from each other. There are those who prefer figs over figs, although it must be said that both are very sweet due to their high sugar content. But do you know that figs are not considered fruits?

And it is that, to begin with, figs are a fruit. But figs, no. These are considered to be inverted flowers in a pod. That is, unlike other plants, the fig has flowers hidden inside that pod. Now, this does not imply that it is difficult to pollinate it, it is. But you can also find yourself with the unpleasant surprise that there is a wasp. It is not the usual thing, because we consume female figs, not male, which are what attract these insects and, in addition, those that are sold are those that have not been pollinated yet, so they do not have seeds inside (nor wasp eggs).

Another difference between figs and figs is their harvest. And it is that, while the figs come from June to July; the fig always appears from August to September.

This has an explanation, and that is that the figs are actually figs from the previous season. Because they began to grow when the cold made it suitable for presence, the fig tree stops its development and enters a kind of lethargy. When spring and heat appear, it reactivates the development of these figs, only they are no longer figs but figs.

As a result of this break, the size of the figs is much larger, and purple in color. They are less sweet and also less caloric than figs.

Finally, another difference between the two is that figs spoil very easily and quickly. They do not tolerate the cold in the refrigerator and do not have them for many days because they rot quickly. That is why it is recommended to buy only those that are going to be consumed.

Varieties of figs

To start with, you should know that they exist around 600 different types of fig trees that are differentiated by shape, fruit, quantity, color, etc. This implies that, when it comes to knowing the varieties of figs, such as figs that we will see below, we will find many different varieties.

However, at the level of consumption and marketing, 10 varieties are used for fresh consumption, which are: 'San Antonio', 'Banane', 'Cuello Dama Blanco', Cuello Dama Negro ',' Tiberio ',' Tres Voltas L'Any ',' Colar Elche ',' Brown Turkey ',' Blanca Bétera 'and' De Rey '. Of course, there are some more, like the 'Goina' that is grown in Spain as well.

Fig varieties

Fig varieties

In the case of figs, you can currently find more than 750 different species of figs, within which there are some that are edible and others that are not. Now, naming them all would be too tedious, so we can tell you about their classification, in which we find that the varieties are distributed into four large groups:

  • Common fig, also called persistent. Some of them are 'Kadota', 'Conadria', 'Mission', 'Celeste', 'Brown Turkey' or 'Adriatic'.
  • Goat, a fig that is not edible.
  • Fig Smyrna, also called Smyrna, the most common in the whole world.
  • Fig San Pedro, known by intermediate fig and which gives rise to figs. Some examples are 'San Pedro', 'Gentile' or 'King'.

Properties of figs and figs

Properties of figs and figs

Despite the fact that figs and figs are foods loaded with many sugars (and therefore they are not recommended for people with diabetes or those who have a tendency to accumulate sugar in the blood), the truth is that they are loaded with very beneficial properties for the body.

The first one is undoubtedly the energy contribution they have, and it is that these sugars give energy.

But, in addition, figs and figs have:

  • Vitamins A and C. Vitamin C is one of the best to strengthen the immune system, thereby protecting you from infections, flu, colds, etc. For its part, vitamin A is focused on vision, reproduction and the immune system. It takes care that organs such as the kidneys, heart or lungs work well.
  • They have a great content of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and potassium. All this helps the proper development of the body, which will obtain the necessary nutrients for everything to function properly.
  • They improve the intestinal transit, because they are able to regulate it so that there are no "accumulations" in it.
  • They lower cholesterol.
  • Antioxidant properties.
  • Defenses increase of the body.

What are figs?

What are figs?

Before we have mentioned the cabrahigos in a very brief way. But what are this variety of figs? Well, it is one of the most primitive crops that is still preserved.

The cabrahigos are male fig trees that only produce male flowers, full of pollen. Its objective is to pollinate the female fig trees in order to give a crop of figs (if not, they fall without maturing).

There are many varieties of this fig, one of which is well known in Andalusia, such as 'Tocal', but there are also others such as 'Abretoune', 'Amellal' or 'Croisic'.

Of these fig trees three types of fruits grow (although we remind you that they are not edible):

  • Mums. They are those that are born from branches of the previous season (something like figs). Inside this you can find remains of the insect that was in charge of pollinating it.
  • Prohibits. They are formed in the new branches.
  • suckers. Figs that develop during the summer.

If they are not edible, why are they grown? The cabrahigos have a reason for being and that is that, inside, there is a wasp, the Bastophaga psenes, very necessary for the pollination of fig trees and for figs to continue to exist.

Is it clearer to you what figs and figs are? And what are their differences? Although both are very tasty and sweet, there are many who prefer one or the other, which one do you prefer?

I hope you now know which are figs and which are figs.


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