Dried Figs

Figs, whose story starts with “Adam and Eve”, are accepted as sacred fruit and commonly consumed during Christmas all over the world. There are traces that figs were cultivated in their motherland Anatolia in the years of 3000-2000 B.C. and they were spread through the Mediterranean from Anatolia within time.

As Aso Food Industry, one of our core business is processing Dried Figs. Our company is one of the biggest collector of dried figs in Izmir and Aydin regions. With high volume of trading and processing activities, we succeed to spread our fig products to 45 countries of the world.

From natural, lerida, protoben, pulled, bağlama figs to paste, diced and industrial figs we are able to supply best quality with most competative prices.

Whenever you need Turkish Dried Figs, please ask our quotation.

Importance of Izmir (Smyrna) Figs

Smyrna figs are considered to be the most desirable fig. They are judged better in flavor than the parthenocarpic fruits because the skin is more tender and the oil in the fertilized seeds give the fig extra flavor.
Most fig varieties produce crops of figs wherever they grow, such as the Common types (e.g., Adriatic, Mission, and Kadota), the caprifig, and San Pedro type. However, the Smyrna (Izmir) figs do not set fruits when they are grown alone. In 1880, Californians began to import and widely plant Smyrna figs, which have the most desirable fruits. The trees looked healthy, but never formed ripe fruits–all the synconia fell off when the fruits were the size of a marble. In fact, the first successful harvest of Smyrna figs in California was 1900. The lack of fruit production in these figs posed a major riddle and economic problems for California growers until they finally understood the biology of fig production.

The story of the Smyrna fig must include the story of the caprifig. Briefly stated, for fruit development to occur, the Smyrna fig needs pollen from the caprifig. Kadota and other common figs do not need the caprifig, even though they lack pollen, because syconium development is “parthenocarpic,” i.e., it proceeds directly without pollination and fertilization (see also pineapple and banana).

In the case of fruit set for Smyrna figs, branches with profichi figs of the caprifig are collected and hung in the late afternoon within the fig tree canopy. The next morning the fig wasps emerge from the profichi figs and then transfer pollen to the young Smyrna pistils. Enough fertilization takes place to promote Smyrna fruit development. This process is called caprification. Caprification was practiced for centuries in the Old World without understanding the pollination mechanism; but the process had to be verified and understood in California (by Eisen in the 1890s) before it could be accepted as sound horticultural practice. Caprifigs were imported to California from Algiers in 1899, which began the western Smyrna fig industry. Three to five caprifigs are grown at fig orchards for every 100 Smyrna fig plants, to provide the necessary pollen and fig wasps.

Speaking of extra flavor, it is true that the skeleton of a female wasp plus some dead larvae of the next generation fig wasps occur in Smyrna figs; however, the consumer hardly notices these inclusions. The “crunch” of the Smyrna fig is the oily seeds.

There are traces that figs were cultivated in their motherland Anatolia in the years of 3000-2000 B.C. and they were spread through the Mediterranean from Anatolia within time.

Turkey is the biggest dried fig producer with a share of 60-70%, and in world dried fig export with a share of 75%.

Nutrition Values

Dried fig is a healthy fruit
Turkish figs are just dried in the sun at Aydin and Izmir provinces. All basic nutrient radicals to synthesize proteins in contained in the dried fruits.

20 % of the energy requirement is met by consuming 200 grams (10 figs) while meeting about 14% of protein requirement and while also meeting 34 percent of Recommended Daily Allowances for Calcium, and 60 % of Iron, and 60 % of Magnesium minerals and also meeting 10.4 % of Vitamin B1 and 9 % of Vitamin B2, these are all required for cell reconstruction.

Smyrna dried figs contain every kind of dietary fibers in high ratios. These are pectin, cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin and polysaccharides.

Dried figs are in the class of foods containing highest quantities of dietary fiber. 200 grams of dried figs contain about 13 grams of dietary fibers. The USA Dietetic Association recommends a daily fiber intake of 20 to 35 grams from a variety of sources combined with a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet.

Figs contain Calcium as much as milk. 100 grams of milk meets 17% of the Recommended Dietary Allowances for Calcium.

Dried figs contain the counterbalanced amount of Phosphorus together with Calcium.

Smyrna (Izmir) dried figs are the most natural delicious and healthy fruits.

Typical values Per 1000 grams (40-60 figs)
Energy : 2170 kcal (9080 kJ)
Protein : 40 g
Carbohydrate : 553 g
of which sugars : 553 g
Fat : 12 g
of which saturates : 2 g
Dietary Fibre : 67 g

MINERALS
* % of RDA
Calcium : 1380 mg 17
Iron : 42 mg 30
Magnesium : 915 mg 30.5
Phosphorus : 1630 mg 20

VITAMINS
Vitamin B1 : 0.73 mg 5.2
Vitamin B2 : 0.72 mg 4.5

* Recommended Daily Allowances as per European Union directive no. 90/ 496

HOW TO STORE DRIED FIGS ?

Just keep in the dry and places it has a shell life of 2 years if it is kept in 4-6 Celsius degree

Avoid direct sunlight, although it has no effect on quality but direct sunlight may warm the dried figs to make them more dry or activate microorganisms, if environment is humid.

Optimum relative humidity is 50-60 %. Avoid humid and stagnant environment.

Cartons should be stowed about 10 cm above the ground on pallets and cartons should be covered with cloth or plastic in high ceiling spaces. There must be at least slight natural ventilation to prevent possible moisture condensing on dried figs.

As water at the outer level of dried figs evaporate, natural sugars crystallize on the outer surface of dried figs. This is normal and natural.

HOW YOU EAT DRIED FIGS?

As Snack

Baking

In Breakfast Cereals

In Ice Cream

Sizes, Quality Classes, Varieties:

In fig production, especially Izmir, Odemis, Tire, Aydin, Germencik, Ortaklar are the main places.
There are two groups; natural, shaped (processed) and four quality classes, these are extra, first, second and industrial class. In the processed group there are different types like lerida (most wanted), garland, protoben, pulled, layer, baglama, locuum, etc…
In Turkish Standards- TS541, all the class and size details can be found. Moisture should not exceed 26 % by weight respectively.