Figs are the fruit produced by a tree which is known as the Common Fig. This was one of the first plants to be cultivated, rather than simply being harvested as it grew in the wild. Samples of domesticated figs have been found dating back over eleven thousand years, which means that they pre-date the earliest known use of domesticated rye and wheat by one thousand years. The fig has cultural and religious significance in many places and cultures, with fig leaves, for example, being mentioned very early on in Genesis in the Bible.
The earliest trees were native to parts of the Middle East and western Asia, but have since been spread across many other countries, where they are grown both for their fruit and for ornamental purposes. The Middle East, and parts of the Mediterranean coast, are still where the majority of figs are grown today, with currently only two producers in the top ten, the United States and Brazil, not hailing from that region. Turkey is the largest fig producing country.
Figs can, and are, eaten fresh, but they are also fried and used in jams. Ripe figs do not tend to transport or keep well after being picked, so most commercially available figs are in dried or otherwise preserved or processed forms. One common use of processed figs is in the Fig Newton, or the generic fig roll, a cookie (or biscuit) that has a filling made from figs.
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