You've Been Eating Figs Wrong This Whole Time

Delicate, yet robust; meaty, but sweet; fresh figs are both healthy and delightful to eat. According to The Spruce Eats, fresh figs are most commonly green or purple on the outside and pale pink to rosy red on the inside. Figs are notable in shape and easy to pick out because of their bulbous bottom and narrowing toward the stem. Healthline describes the fruit as reminiscent of a teardrop and filled with seemingly endless edible seeds. These babies are chockful of potassium, magnesium, and calcium — not to mention that, at around just 30 calories each, they are a sweet treat that won't encourage an expanding waistline. 

If you aren't yet, you should definitely be adding this fruit to your diet; but if you find fresh figs intimidating to eat, you are not alone. You may even be eating them all wrong! Yes, you can eat figs wrong. So, how to best enjoy this sweet fruit? There is actually more than one way to eat fresh figs correctly, but there is one method of noshing on their soft, juicy flesh that will truly make you appreciate their sweet perfection.

According to Taste of Home, the best way to eat fresh figs is to twist or cut off the stem like you would an apple and enjoy the food raw. There's no need to dress-up or add anything extra to figs, they are absolutely perfect for sinking your teeth right into. However, if the texture of fig skin is not appealing to you, you can also use a vegetable peeler to strip it off. NPR concurs with the suggestion, noting that an "untouched" fig dripping with "syrupy liqueur" that is as sweet as honey and as tasty as any ripe berry cannot be ameliorated. While figs are absolutely exceptional fresh and best eaten that way, if eating a fig whole, sans the stem, isn't your jam, you can always slice the fruit in half and use a spoon to scoop out all of those lovely seeds.

Taste.com points out that a fig's color doesn't really affect its taste, but when choosing your fruit, make certain that it is soft when you gently press on it. Keeping fresh figs in the refrigerator will help extend their shelf life by a couple of days, but be sure to bring them up to room temperature before eating.