Eat figs for fitness

Yesterday we received a wedding invitation. What is worth writing about is the box of dry fruit barfi that came with it! Perfect on the sweetness scale, it is (am not writing was, because there is a lot left to eat!) a soft and chewy barfi made with anjeer and dates. A few years ago I had made a similar barfi on my show and memories come flooding back…of taking equal quantities of anjeer and dates, lots of almonds, cashewnuts and pistachios, little ghee and cooking the dry fruit puree till thick. The silver warq on the top is the final touch.

I love fig, do you? You may or may not but at least read through this to understand the goodness of this eternal fruit. 

It is one of mankind’s oldest fruit and it only in the recent years that it has been receiving its due attention. The ancient Egyptians ate the fig as long as 6,000 years ago. They were a favourite of Cleopatra. They also grew in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. They are as reminiscent of ancient times as the olive, the grapevine and wheat. In classical Greece, athletes would eat figs while training for the Olympics. 

Figs belong to the mulberry family. They are the sweetest of all fruits having 55% sugar. Amazingly the flower of fig is inside the fruit so you will not find any blossoms on fig trees. When they ripe they are lush mouthfuls of soft pink flesh that is fragrant and sensual at the same time. There is a huge number of commercial varieties of figs that range from purple to brown, green-gold, black or even white in colour, with different flavours, sweetness and size. 

One serving of figs is 40 grams, about ¼ cup. Figs are high in fiber, providing 20 percent of the Daily Value — more dietary fiber per serving than any other common dried or fresh fruit. Dried figs, anjeer, are actually very nutritious. Try and have two to three a day. They will provide you with potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and fibre. In fact, having an anjeer milkshake once or twice a week is good for the system. If the kids agree to have it, wow, that would be great! 

How to choose figs

If you want to buy fresh figs choose those that are soft and smell sweet. And they should be handled with care for they are so fragile that their skins bruise easily. They can be stored in the refrigerator for upto two days. But they should be served at room temperature. 

Dried figs are good too

Soak dried figs in boiling water, chop, mix with nuts and spices and add too cakes or cookies or muffins. They not smell heavenly but taste just as good. They serve as excellent snack to have in between meals. Slice a few figs and add to your tossed green salads. They add sweetness and texture, as well as fiber. I love using anjeer as a fat substitute in baked goods. One excellent traditional sweet, karanji, takes anjeer to newer heights. How? I just take a nice nutty mixture of anjeer, dates, poppy seeds, and wrap it up in the traditional maida covering for karanji. Now what is so different about this except for the filling? Bake it, instead of frying it! Imagine the amount of calories saved and the appreciative compliments from your guests? We all have begun appreciating low-fat food in a big way! Coming back to being a fat substitute, you can replace up to half the quantity of butter or margarine in a cake with puree of anjeer. The cake will be moist. Just do not over mix or over bake the cake. This will give you the perfect texture. 

How to eat more figs

Feel like some cookies? Have an anjeer instead! Same theory for chocolate. Anjeer is not only easy to eat but really satisfies the sweet tooth. So carry to office, to school, to college, while commuting. It’s a hygienic, quick snack no doubt. 

Go a step further. Keep a container of anjeer in a desk drawer at work, and use for late afternoon munching, or to include during your tea/coffee break. 

At home, slice a few anjeer and add to your salads. They add sweetness and texture, as well as fibre.