Not All Figs Are Created Equal

Especially If you strictly adhere to  a Vegan diet. Many years ago I followed a Vegan diet. I recall learning that figs are not suitable for vegans, but my recollection was fuzzy regarding WHY. I thought  it was because the wasps that pollinate the trees were laying their eggs in the figs. So, when eating the fig you were eating wasp eggs. This topic came up when I was reading a blog post for WHCP titled Garden Bounty. I offered up a New York Times recipe of roasted chicken and figs. I suggested an alternative for vegans/vegetarians. Val stated after discussing the alternative, “You are aware that figs are not vegan?!” My reply was, “YES, but I can’t remember why!” I was under the impression that the wasps laid their eggs in the figs, but her explanation was that the wasps crawl inside the figs and die. That is true, but why? I did a deep dive into figs and pollinating wasps and here is what I learned:

Some vegans choose to avoid certain types of figs due to their unique pollination process that involves a mutualistic relationship with specific types of wasps. There are quite a few species of figs that do not require the symbiotic relationship which include many “backyard” fig species such as Black Mission, Turkey Brown, Chicago Hardy, Kabota, Celeste and LSU Purple. For those species that do require a “relationship” the female wasps will go inside the flower of the fig and die. The enzymes that break down the wasps act as food or pollination for the fig tree. I learned some additional interesting information that was interesting and surprising! Figs are not technically a fruit, but a collection of flower blossoms within the “meat” of the fig. When you bite into a fig and feel the “crunch” it is actually the seeds or ovaries of the fig.

So the orthodox vegan can eat some figs, but would refuse the species that rely on the symbiotic relationship between the wasp and the tree.