It started with a fig roll…
I never realised it when I was growing up, but my mother was a visionary in the kitchen.
Contrary to the thinking and taste buds of the time, the reluctant hostess never used salt or sugar in her cooking. Her apple pies were made from scratch, with sultanas for sweetness rather than sugar, and they tasted fabulous.
Consequently, when I first bit down on a mass-produced pie, the extra sugar and additives hit my system like a tornado, and sent an already energetic child into hyperactive orbit.
The one sweet treat my mother did buy though was the classic fig roll. As a child surrounded by friends who ate chocolate, this was the disappointment of the biscuit tin, the broad bean of the vegetable patch, the aniseed of flavourings. But, as there wasn’t anything else and I was always famished, those “figgies” didn’t last long.
The flip side was that I grew up with the kind of appreciation for figs that most teenagers reserve for Cadbury’s. And I’m very glad that I do, as both dried and fresh varieties provide loads of energy, and are packed with nutrients such as iron and calcium, the blood and bone boosters.
Herbalists consider the fig a healing food, as it’s one of the most alkalising fruits and helps to detoxifying and cleanse the body. Figs are also low in fat, a rich source of dietary fibre and a naturally gentle laxative, soothing the digestive tract and helping treat haemorrhoids.
There’s more. They are also a good source of Vitamin K, which helps blood to clot and internal repair, and trace metals such as manganese and magnesium, which form vital enzymes and help regulate our bodily functions. Fig-tastic.
So, thank you, Mom. A few weekly Fig Newtons and a sugar-free start helped encourage a very healthy snacking habit.
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