When the sun casts the last rays of summer, the fig trees fill with fruit and load their branches with this appreciated product. The Malaga fig can be found in many varieties – dried, pajeros, fig bread – and has managed to carve out a tasty niche in Spanish gastronomy thanks to products entirely made in Malaga. The fig, as a fruit, appears on fig trees between the end of August and the beginning of September. This tree has the peculiarity that it is very resistant and adapts to all types of soil, although it is especially common throughout the Mediterranean area.

The Malaga fig, traditionally, has been the Verdejo variety, characterized by its dark color, reddish flesh and very thin skin. The Verdejo fig usually grows later than the others. The fig tree is a tree that produces more fruits than are consumed, which is why Spanish cookbooks have experimented with the fig to take advantage of the leftovers and generate new flavors. Furthermore, it is a fruit that goes bad if it is not consumed quickly. In Malaga, dried figs, pajero figs and Malaga fig bread are famous.

Other derivatives

The dried fig is a fruit that, as its name indicates, has been allowed to dry. Sometimes the process is done naturally by leaving the figs that have fallen to the ground from the branches in the sun, although it is also common for the fruits to be collected when they fall and exposed to the sun to let them dry. The province of Malaga has the ideal conditions for the production of this dried fruit, since for its production the fig must be exposed to the sun and high temperatures uninterruptedly. Pajero figs are traditional in Malaga and very similar to the dried fig.  The main difference is that the Malaga pajero fig has softer skin and a much sweeter flavor. They are also different in size: they are generally medium-sized or smaller than other dried figs.

Malaga fig bread

The Malaga farmers adopted the Arab tradition of making fig bread with the leftover production of the fig trees. This product is made up of a compact dough made exclusively of figs (it does not include flour, wheat or other ingredients used to make the bread) and is sometimes accompanied by other nuts or candied fruit. Although it can be found throughout the province, Coín fig bread is particularly well known.

Energy supply

The fig is a fruit that is characterized by its high energy content. When it is dried and turned into a dried fig, the properties are multiplied: the dried fig has more calcium, more calories and more carbohydrates than the fresh fig. The dried fig has become a common product in the diet of athletes and a natural product widely consumed by hikers as a replacement for energy bars. Thanks to the fact that it is a dried fruit, it remains well preserved in any situation.

Peasant tradition

The fresh fig is a difficult fruit to preserve in good condition before it goes bad. Therefore, one of the best solutions is to convert this fresh fruit into large masses of fig bread to keep the product in good condition throughout the year. Malaga fig bread is characterized by offering a high contribution of energy, so it was a product widely consumed by Malaga farmers to cope with the long days of work in the fields.

Consumption

The fig is a fresh fruit widely consumed in the summer months at noon, as a dessert or snack. Its flavor has also spread to other forms of consumption such as yogurts, smoothies, ice cream or liqueurs. Dried figs, on the other hand, are usually used in gastronomy as an accompaniment to meats, fruits and desserts, although they can also be consumed independently. For its part, fig bread is a common product throughout the year, although it is especially consumed during the Christmas months.