Black Mission Fig: Today's new food was a surprise find from my visit to the Whole Foods in Buckhead last night. I had a gig to play a few blocks away, so despite not finding much at the Ponce location yesterday afternoon, I decided to check out the Buckhead location in hopes that they might have something different. While much of the stock was the same (even though the store is much larger), I did manage to find something new in the bulk dried fruits/nuts/grains section: black mission figs. I've had figs as an ingredient, but usually as a paste or puree, never whole. I like them in general, so I was curious to find out what these tasted like.
These figs had obviously been dried, and they looked similar to dates or large raisins. After biting into one this afternoon, I was pleasantly surprised. The flavor was fairly sweet, much like a raisin, and the interior was slightly mushy, but filled with tiny little seeds that provided a nice crunch. If you like raisins, these black mission figs could be a great new snack option, but definitely more decadent at $5.99/lb. Luckily, WF let me take a few of these as a free sample.
In case you were wondering where these originated, Wikipedia states that they were introduced to the US when Franciscan missionaries planted them in what is now San Diego back in 1768. It's now the main commercial variety planted throughout California. Wow, these things have some history...
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