Welcome to our series featuring Food Holidays: November 1st -7th: National Fig Week. Do you like Figs if so how do you eat them and why? My mom and I used to eat Fig Newton Cookies and Charlie likes Strawberry Fig Newtons why David doesn’t care for them at all.
November 1-7: National Fig Week
National Fig Week takes place from November 1st through the 7th of every year. The time of year to celebrate the unsung hero of Fruits by discovering its many varieties, recipes, and health benefits. Making this a fun week to wear your apron, remove your cooking equipment from your drawers, and cook a Fig recipe. What’s more, Figs are so flexible they can be served either in a sweet or savory dish. It’s a week to highlight Figs that’s often unrecognized and underappreciated.
HISTORY OF NATIONAL FIG WEEK
Did you know Figs are one of the oldest Fruits consumed by mankind. Its cultural and Biblical symbolic relevance dates way back to the ancient times when Figs repeatedly appeared in The Bible’s Old Testament as a Tree that Jesus miraculously enchanted to bear Fruits. Some historians argue that it was a Fig that Eve consumed in the Garden of Eden, not an Apple.
The culinary use of Figs dates back to 2500 B.C. during the Neolithic excavation when Sumerians first discovered that Figs were edible. But the cultivation of Figs in humanity as a staple food started in 1768 when Spanish Franciscans brought Figs to Southern California. This was called ‘Mission Fig’ which started the growth of many varieties in the U.S. The most popular variants of Figs include Black Mission, Brown Turkey, Calimyrna, and Kadota figs.
With the widespread use of Sugar in the culinary industry, Figs became the go-to Fruit for chefs and cooks in producing Jams in the 1800s. Figs gained commercial demand in 1891 when Fig Newtons produced and manufactured the first Fig Cookie. This proved to be a hit not just within the company, but also in all households as home cooks started replicating their Fig-inspired desserts.
Today, Figs are celebrated as one of the most flexible Fruits in the world. Figs can be served as either sweet or savory; desserts or main course. This National Fig Week, indulge and enjoy the delicious goodness of Figs either in restaurants or in your kitchen.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
