Buying This Food
Look for: Plump, soft fresh figs whose skin may be green, brown, or purple, depending on
the variety. As figs ripen, the pectin in their cell walls dissolves and the figs grow softer to
the touch. The largest, best-tasting figs are generally the ones harvested and shipped in late
spring and early summer, during June and July.
Choose dried figs in tightly sealed airtight packages.
Avoid: Fresh figs that smell sour. The odor indicates that the sugars in the fig have fer-
mented; such fruit is spoiled.
Storing This Food
Refrigerate fresh figs. Dried figs can be stored in the refrigerator or at room temperature;
either way, wrap them tightly in an air- and moistureproof container to keep them from los-
ing moisture and becoming hard. Dried figs may keep for several months.
Preparing This Food
Wash fresh figs under cool water; use dried figs right out of the package. If you want to slice
the dried figs, chill them first in the refrigerator or freezer: cold figs slice clean.
What Happens When You Cook This Food
Fresh figs contain ficin, a proteolytic (protein-breaking) enzyme similar to papain in papayas
and bromelin in fresh pineapple. Proteolytic enzymes split long-chain protein molecules
into smaller units, which is why they help tenderize meat. Ficin is most effective at about
140–160°F, the temperature at which stews simmer, and it will continue to work after you
take the stew off the stove until the food cools down. Temperatures higher than 160°F inac-
tivate ficin; canned figs—which have been exposed to very high heat in processing—will
not tenderize meat.
Both fresh and dried figs contain pectin, which dissolves when you cook the figs, mak-
ing them softer. Dried figs also absorb water and swell.
How Other Kinds of Processing Affect This Food
Drying. Figs contain polyphenoloxidase, an enzyme that hastens the oxidation of phenols
in the fig, creating brownish compounds that darken its flesh. To prevent this reaction, figs
may be treated with a sulfur compound such as sulfur dioxide or sodium sulfite. People who
are sensitive to sulfites may suffer serious allergic reactions, including potentially fatal ana-
phylactic shock, if they eat figs that have been treated with one of these compounds.
Figs