Whether using the smaller tougher figs from local wild trees or larger, sweeter fruits from cultivated Arab figs, the fig tree’s ability to survive through almost any drought means it can be used as a superfood through the whole year, every year.

Around the world, people dry figs in Turkey for sweets, fill fresh ones with cheese in Italy, cook them into lamb stews in the Middle East, or turn them into bars and jams in America.  In India, they are simmered in milk for quick energy; and, everywhere, sun-dried to lock in sweetness for snacks or powders.

Yet, in Kenya, where wild figs thrive in Rift Valley, Coast, and Eastern dry zones, across sandy or clay-loam soils and without extra water, they are often left unharvested because of their tough skins. But a cheap alternative is cultivated Arab figs with larger fruits, softer flesh, and higher sugar content that are easier to eat, cook, and sell. They establish quickly and continue producing hundred of fruits per tree under dry conditions for 30 years, with very little care.

Once producing, figs are a superfood, packed with fibre that helps digestion, potassium that regulates blood pressure, calcium for strong bones, and iron, Vitamin A and Vitamin C that drive immunity to every infection and boost energy.

To use figs in the home, you can eat them fresh from the tree, chopped and added to millet or maize porridge as a sweetener, or added ro bean stew to enrich it.

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FarmBizAfrica has also taken  inspiration from all over the world, to compile other ways to draw figs into your superfood diet, as:

Fig-Doudo Stew: 

Dice 8 figs into boiled doudo (jute mallow) or spinach with garlic; simmer 20 mins. Adds iron boost to greens for family meal.

Stuffed Figs with Cheese (Western): 

Halve 12 fresh figs, stuff with crumbled goat cheese or fermented milk curd, wrap in banana leaves, and roast over coals 10 mins. Simple starter or side.

Fig and Bean Braise (Western-inspired): 

Sauté onions, add cooked beans, chopped figs (8), garlic, and stock from bones; slow-cook 30 mins.

Fig-Peanut Balls

Mash 10 sun-dried figs with ½ cup roasted peanuts (or seeds); form bite-size balls, roll in crushed peanut dust.

Fig-Oat Bites

Chop 8 dried figs, mix with handful millet flour or pounded oats and peanut paste; shape and sun-dry 1 day.

Fig-Coconut Bars: 

Blend 12 chopped figs with grated coconut (or dry maize bits) and honey drop; press flat, sun-dry into chewy slabs for 8 servings.

Stewed Fig Pudding: 

Simmer 10 quartered figs in water with millet flour to thicken; cool for soft pudding. Pairs with fermented milk.

Fig-Sukuma Stir:

Chop 6 figs into chopped sukuma wik, onions, and tomatoes; cook over fire 15 mins with salt. Sweet-savory side for 4.

Roasted Figs with Meat Skewers (Arabic-Western):

Skewer goat pieces alternating with fig halves, season with salt, roast over open fire 15 mins. Portable farm snack or dinner.

Fig Goat Stew: 

Dice 10 figs into simmering goat or beef stew with tomatoes and onions; cook 45 mins for natural sweetness balancing meat. Family pot for 6.

Fig and Lamb Tagine (Arabic-style): 

Brown goat chunks in a pot over fire, add chopped onions, garlic, halved Arab figs (12), and water; simmer low 1 hour till tender with salt and cumin seeds (or pepper). Serves 4 with ugali.

Fig-Cabbage Relish: 

Shred cabbage, mix with sliced raw figs (4) and lemon squeeze; let sit or light-stir-fry. Fresh topping for ugali or rice.

Fig Onion Relish: 

Slow-simmer sliced figs (1kg) with onions, vinegar splash (or lemon), and chili; cool for topping nyama choma or beans. Jar for weeks.

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