Dried Figs

Also known asFicus carica · 无花果

Name: Dried Fig — the dried fruit of the common fig tree, Ficus carica. This entry reflects the dark-skinned Mission variety, one of the most widely grown fig cultivars for drying.

Description

The common fig is native to the region stretching from Asiatic Turkey to northern India, though it now grows wild across much of the Mediterranean and is cultivated in warm climates worldwide. It was one of the earliest fruit trees ever domesticated, and its small, rough-leaved tree produces fruits — botanically syconia, an inflorescence turned inside out — that ripen soft, sweet, and highly perishable.

Because fresh figs spoil so quickly, drying has been the fruit's main form of preservation since antiquity; in the Mediterranean, figs eaten fresh and dried were once such a dietary staple that the fruit was known as “the poor man's food.” Sun-drying concentrates the fruit's natural sugars and shrinks its many small seeds into a dense, chewy texture, turning a fragile summer fruit into one that keeps for months.

Main nutrition value

Per 100g, dried figs (Mission variety, uncooked):

Dried figs stand out for fiber — nearly 10g per 100g, among the highest of any dried fruit — and calcium, unusually high for a fruit at 162mg per 100g. They also carry a solid amount of potassium, manganese, and vitamin K.

How best to be consumed

A handful of three or four dried figs (around 40g) is already a substantial serving given how calorie- and sugar-dense they are compared with fresh figs, so treating them as a snack rather than a fruit portion helps keep intake sensible. They're good eaten out of hand, chopped into salads and grain dishes, simmered into compotes, or paired with cheese and nuts, where their dense sweetness and crunchy seeds add texture.

Overconsumption could cause…

Dried figs carry nearly half their weight in sugar, so eating them freely rather than by the handful can add up quickly in calories and sugar, which matters most for anyone managing blood sugar or weight. Their high fiber content is generally beneficial but can cause bloating, gas, or loose stools if intake increases suddenly, and their sticky texture and small seeds can also stick to teeth, raising the risk of cavities with frequent snacking.

GroupsDried FruitsMulberry family (Moraceae)High fibreLow fatLow sodiumRich in potassiumDried

Related foodsDried JackfruitDried MulberriesDried AppleDried ApricotsDried PeachDried Pear

U.S. Department of Agriculture, FoodData Central — Figs, dried, uncooked (Mission variety) (FDC ID 746768), 100g portion: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/746768/nutrients Encyclopaedia Britannica — fig: https://www.britannica.com/plant/fig