Fruit without flower

Yesterday, I got some fresh figs that my mother bought at a local farmers’ market.

Though it seemed possible to peel the fruits by hand, I used a knife not to deform them too much. They were so soft. In Japanese, figs are called “ichijiku”. It is sometimes written as 無花果 that means a fruit without flower. I wondered where this mysterious name came from and checked some websites. Then I learned that fig trees never have flowers that look like flowers. To my surprise, the flowers are the grain-like things in the red parts of the fruits! They looked delicious.

The taste is difficult to explain. They had a gentle sweetness, but their soft texture and a grainy texture in the red part were more impressive. I remembered that dried figs in some bread also had the same grainy texture though they were much sweeter and very different from fresh ones.

I’m not sure if I like fresh figs or not because I'm more used to eat dried ones. I have had an image that figs are good for beauty. According to some websites, they are called “fruits for eternal youth.” They have polyphenols to make the skin beautiful and potassium to prevent swelling. They also improve intestinal condition. As its season continues to October, I may have more opportunities to eat them.