Southern fruit figs are often called wine berries. This is one of the oldest cultivated plants belonging to the genus Ficus. Hence another name for figs - fig.
History of the origin of wine berries
According to the Old Testament, Adam and Eve tasted the fruits of the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil, after which they were expelled from Paradise. In the ancient manuscript there is no exact name for the tree and fruits that were eaten by the ancestors of the human race. But according to one legend, these were figs. From the leaves of the fig tree, Adam and Eve fashioned a robe for themselves to cover up their shame.
Does anyone know what is called the wine berry in the Jewish Talmud? The holy book contains a description of a tree that exudes honey and milk on the ground. This plant is called a fig tree, and its fruits are a fig.
It is known that people have grown cultivated figs for over five thousand years. Initially, fig trees grew in the western part of Asia, from where they were further distributed along the shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Then, by sea, the fig tree migrated to other southern countries. Currently, the plant is widely cultivated in warm and sunny areas: the countries of the Mediterranean, India, Central Asia, Transcaucasia, Crimea, California. More than four hundred varieties of figs are known .
In fact, figs have a truly heavenly taste - soft, moderately sweet, with a slight tart tint. The wine berry absorbs all the power of the generous southern sun and is poured with the juice of the earth. During the season, the fig tree is harvested twice.
What happens figs
Fig tree grows up to ten meters in height and has a wide spreading crown with large rounded leaves. Figs look like small, soft bags filled with small seeds. The color of the berries may vary depending on the type of tree. There are figs of white, yellowish, red, purple, brown shades. The skin of figs is soft and velvety. A ripe fruit weighs about fifty grams and fits freely in the palm of your hand.
From a biological point of view, wine berry is not a fruit. In fact, this is siconium - a kind of shell, inside of which there are a large number of small flowers. To fertilize them, small wasps settle in Siconia. A ripened fig looks filled with many tiny little fruits.
In what form are the fruits of the fig tree eaten?
Figs are a very delicate and delicate fruit that does not tolerate transportation. If you remove the berries in an unripe form (like bananas), that is, they will be impossible because of the caustic taste. Figs cannot ripen - it will simply rot.
What is wine berry, it becomes quite clear when the ripe fig tree fruits are trying to expose for a long time. Inside the fig, the fermentation process begins very quickly, turning it into a real wine berry. Therefore, the taste of fresh fig is unfamiliar to most people.
Those who are lucky enough to visit the warm regions in the summer will be able to enjoy the delicious fruits of figs. Eat them whole without peeling off the peel. The texture of the berries is tender and soft. The most common fruits of fig tree were in the form of dried fruits, jams, preserves or in canned form.
The chemical composition of wine berries
Proteins and sugar give the strength and stability to the human body, the amount of which in dried fruits reaches a content of over 75%.
The presence of minerals - potassium, iron, copper, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, zinc - helps to strengthen the body's metabolic processes. Wine berry enhances immune defense, helps in building and maintaining bone tissue, and prevents the development of anemia.
Vitamins A, C, PP, K, group B contribute to the normalization of the biochemical processes of the body and protection against many diseases. The dried and fresh fruits of figs contain a very valuable substance phenol. It is an antioxidant that promotes active protection of cells from oxidation. Regular consumption of dry figs can reduce the risk of cancer by up to seventy percent.
Fig tree treatment
Figs have long been known in folk medicine as a broad-spectrum drug. In other words, there are practically no such ailments from which the wonderful fruit of the wine berry cannot help.
Those people who suffer from diseases of the heart and blood vessels must definitely include dry figs in their daily diet. Potassium and sugar, contained in large quantities in figs, regulate cardiac activity, reduce blood pressure and prevent the appearance of puffiness.
Good diuretic and laxative properties of wine berries help people with various diseases of the stomach, intestines, kidneys. Figs can lower fever in tonsillitis, respiratory infections and pneumonia. With prolonged and persistent coughing, figs steamed in hot milk help well.
Wine berry is endowed with a very large number of useful properties. Among the fruits of other plants you can not find those that would be as rich in ficin as figs. The high content of the beneficial enzyme, as well as potassium ions, provides blood thinning, which prevents blood clotting and normalizes blood pressure.
Of particular note is the presence in the fruits of figs of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, which are essential for the full functioning of the human brain and nervous system. This fact is unique to plants.
In folk medicine, not only fruits are actively used, but also fig tree leaves. It is noted that the infusion prepared from green mass helps restore lost hair and prevents the loss of existing ones. Decoctions of fig leaves can be used in the form of rinses, compresses, lotions.
Positive effect on the human body
The health benefits of figs are undoubtedly very great. In fresh wine berry, the maximum concentration of nutrients, minerals and vitamins. Ancient warriors took dried figs on a long trip. Due to its high nutritional value, fruits could very quickly saturate people.
To strengthen the body after serious illnesses, great physical and mental stress, it is very important to eat high-calorie foods. Dried and dried figs are an excellent nutritious fruit. Fig helps the elderly people to regain their lost strength, gives them energy, improves their mood. Pectin substances of wine berry are a good prevention of atherosclerosis.
Contraindications to the use of figs
When dried, figs are a sugary-sweet fruit. Wine berry is highly undesirable in the menu of patients with diabetes. High calorie content in dried fruits will not benefit overweight people. Do not enjoy the fruits of figs and those who have peptic ulcer. The use of figs in the presence of kidney stones or gall bladder is also contraindicated.
Cooking Figs
Wine berry is a delicious treat that can be consumed on its own or used in the preparation of many culinary products.
It is useful to add dried figs in crushed form to granola, cereals, sour-milk drinks and cottage cheese. Figs improve the taste of bread, puddings and casseroles.
The combination of dried or dried figs with smoked meat products gives the dishes a special piquancy. Fig fruits can be stewed in sweet and sour sauce and served with meat, poultry or ham.
When using figs with hard cheese and nuts, an excellent taste combination and combination of useful qualities are noted. Gourmets will find the taste of egg omelet baked with several slices of figs very unusual.
And of course, you can not do without sweet figs in the preparation of a variety of desserts: ice cream, cakes, jelly, sweets. Great tastes are compotes, jelly, jams or preserves. And what a wonderful wine comes from ripe fig fruits!