On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 717

thedatetheyreadilydryinthesuntoalongkeeping, concentrated source of nourishment,
they have been an important human food for
many thousands of years. The fig is the fruit
mentioned most often in the Bible, and was
said to grow in the Garden of Eden. Spanish
explorers brought it to the Americas via
Mexico, and it now grows in many dry
subtropicalregions.Therearemanyvarieties,
some green-skinned and some purple, some
with bright red interiors. Ripe fresh figs are
80% water, very fragile and perishable. The
vast bulk of the world crop is preserved by
drying,aprocessthatnormallybeginsonthe
tree and then concludes on the orchard floor
orinmechanicaldryers.
Thefigisunusualinbeingmoreflower
thanfruit.Themainbodyisafleshyflower
basefoldedinonitself,withanopenpore
oppositethestem,andinnerfemaleflorets
thatdevelopintosmall,individualdryfruits
thatcrunchlike“seeds.”Thefloretsare


pollinatedbytinywaspsthatenterthroughthe
pore.Manyfigvarietieswillsetfruitwithout
pollinationandproduce“seeds”withno
embryoinside,butfigexpertssaythat
fertilizationandseeddevelopmentseemto
generatedifferentflavors.(Waspscarry
microbesintothefiginterior,sofertilized
fruitsalsosuffergreaterspoilage.)Smyrna

figsandtheirdescendants(“Calimyrna”isthe
Californiaversion)willnotsetfruitunless
fertilized.Theymustbegrownalongsidea
separateandinediblecropof“caprifigs,”
fromwhichthewaspsobtainfigpollenand
laytheireggs.
FoodWords:Date,Pomegranate
Date comes from the Greek word for
“finger,”daktulos, which the elongated
fruits resemble.Pomegranate comes from
medieval French, and is a combination of
Latin roots meaning “apple” and “grainy”
or“seedy.”