Fico Dottato: Why is it unique?

Fresh from the tree, dried, stuffed or baked, the fig is a classic, ancient fruit.

The fig has been present from the Garden of Eden to the banquet tables of the Romans up to the Christmas puddings of Merry Old England.

The Greeks most likely introduced this noble fruit to southern Italy, where it quickly became a staple.

Down at the tip of the peninsula, Calabrian figs are a must for the Christmas holidays.

What makes them so special?

Dotted fig: history and where it is grown

The fig is one of the first plants cultivated by man, preceding domesticated grain and legumes.

Adam and Eve covered themselves with fig leaves after eating the forbidden fruit, which in some interpretations is a fig, not an apple. It is said that Romulus and Remus were suckled by the she-wolf in the shade of a fig tree.

Aristotle studied the plant, and Plato was a glutton for dried fruit. Pliny claimed that eating figs made young people stronger, was good for the health of the elderly and reduced wrinkles.

Together with the olive tree and the vine, the fig tree was a sacred plant for the Romans. And Ovid said that it was a tradition to give figs and honey to relatives and friends at the beginning of winter to wish them all the best for the new year.

Surprisingly, due to the symbolic importance of the fig tree, Italy does not rank among the top ten countries in the world in terms of quantity produced. Of course, the quality is another story.

While the fig is present throughout Italy, commercial production is mainly in Puglia, Campania, Calabria and Sicily.

Dottato Fig of Cosenza

In Calabria, Cosenza figs have been officially designated with the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).

The European Union grants this Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status to guarantee and protect the high quality products of a specific territory, and in this case, the Province of Cosenza.

The type of fig is known as the Dottato, characterized by a rich, sweet pulp with tiny seeds.