Encysted

PalmFrom the small pantry, she took out a beautiful glass jar with embossed fruit. A special jar, the kind you keep to store valuable things or to display on the table when you have guests. From inside, she took out a flat, wrinkled, and dry little ball, like her hands, as if it were an extension of herself. I didn't understand at the time that what she was offering me was a very precious treat. I remember the taste of anise and the, I think, fig seeds as I nibbled on it. And also her standing in front of me with her hand extended so generously.

Vineyards, palm trees, olive trees, and fig trees have been the most important crops of Mediterranean civilizations. The fig tree, due to its characteristics, is an undemanding tree capable of growing in infertile soils. Once it has taken root, it doesn't need much attention; it adapts easily to our climate and withstands drought very well. Its cultivation in the Balearic Islands must have been introduced by the settlers themselves or, at that time, from bird droppings. Between the 13th and 17th centuries, the fig tree was an isolated tree with few cultivated varieties. In the 18th century, a significant change occurred due to the increase in fruit trees in the islands' crops. Towards the end of the 19th century, the fig tree was the most important fruit tree in terms of area. Furthermore, with the appearance of phylloxera, vineyard irrigation ditches were used to plant fig, almond, and carob trees. From the second half of the 19th century onwards, In the 20th century, almond and carob crops relegated fig trees to the background. The lack of demand for figs to fatten animals and the loss of markets to countries with cheaper labor added to the decline of fig trees.

Dried figs

Figs were primarily used and exported dried and were one of the most important and prized products of our islands. They were also used to fatten pigs, especially those of lower quality or those that had fallen from the tree or were damaged. Traditionally, they are dried on reeds placed in the sun, with great care taken when bringing them inside so that they are not spoiled by rain or the morning's rosy colors. There are several drying methods, depending on the variety, as described by Felip Munar in From the fig tree to the table (Ed. Documenta Balear, 1999). Punches, for example, are made with parajale and albacore figs. The eye fig is placed on the bud, ensuring that they remain joined at one end. The flesh is exposed to the sun and turned after a couple of days. Then, the flesh is joined with another fig, baked, and then acisted. In a few other contexts, we will use the verb 'encistar', a curious and currently little-used word that, according to the DCVB, is used when we place food in a cist or other container for transport or for staking. Various methods were used to preserve dried figs. One was to place them in the oven, then place them in containers alternating with fennel leaves, anise seeds, and figs, and sprinkle the fruit with salt water. They were stamped firmly and covered with fig or palm leaves. Another procedure involved boiling water in a cauldron with fennel, anise, bay leaves, lemon leaves, and salt. When the water had boiled for about ten minutes, a basket of figs was placed in. After a few minutes, the basket was removed and allowed to dry. The figs were then placed in containers as in the previous procedure (The hermits' kitchen, Miquel Font, 1996). The Ibizan cookbook Enjoy (Joan Castelló Guasch, 1967) notes that flowering figs, or jeracas, are dried in the sun, split in half, and then flavored with thyme and fennel flowers. When the alfabia is full, it is covered with a plate and sealed with cement to keep out air. The containers are then not opened again until after the Christmas holidays, narrowing one for the July harvest. For other varieties, however, they use the calderón system described by the hermits.

Today's recipe is a quick hybrid, but you can sun-dry the fruit if you can. In my case, I think it will be more of a preserve than the dried figs I ate as a child.