Don’t Care a Feather or a Fig
Remember how I said a while back that I was going to try to go to bed earlier and get more rest? That hasn’t been working out so well.
Now I’m really quite overtired. So today I’m going to try something a little bit new. I’m going to present a small piece of information without any context, and I’m going to ask you a question.
The interesting part of this experiment will be the answers. So I hope you aren’t feeling shy. I’m also hoping that given the easy nature of this question, I may be able to draw out some new commenters from the lurkers. We’ll see. That’s easier said than done.
Here’s the question:
If you see a menu and it mentions figs, do you assume they will be fresh or dried?
Feel free to elaborate in comments below.
Then we will see where this experiment will go.
FUSSYlittleBLOG 
I guess it would depend on the preparation, but usually fresh.
Now that you mention it, I imagine dried. But I believe that stems from my first fresh-fig tasting experience. About 15 years ago in Italy I ate a fig right from the tree. I still have yet to have a more transcendental experience. I can’t imagine any fig I would ever eat again would be as remarkable. Therefore, to me, all figs not plucked fresh from that tree in Italy and inserted directly into my mouth are dried!
Hmmm, I’m not really sure. If it’s in a salad with goat cheese and greens, I would expect them to be fresh. In a fruity reduction for a roast, probably dried. I can’t recall not seeing an fresh/dried adjective adjacent to “fig” on a menu.
This would be my assumption too.
It depends on the preparation. If figs and mascarpone and honey are mentioned i assume fresh. If figs are in a cooked dish I assume nothing. Years ago I was chef at a restaurant where the owner insisted in writing 3/4 of the menu without regard for what was in season. One savory dish had figs and would have been pretty good with fresh, but was just ok with dried. We did on occasion get complaints from people expecting fresh and getting dry. It is very difficult to get good fresh figs even when they’re in season as they do not ship and store well.
Well, you know what they say about assuming…
However, if figs are being used in a salad or dessert I would think fresh. If they are in a cooked dish, I would think dried. But I have been known to be wrong before. Once or twice. Or all the time if you ask my 11 year olds.
Fresh is my guess. I would imagine the dried would be chewy perhaps?
I would simply look to see if the word “fig” is the prefix for “newtons.”
I assume they’re always dried black figs unless otherwise specified. Even in a salad. We live in upstate NY. That said, I wish there were more fresh figs in my life…
Figs have a short growing season and short shelf life and they don’t come from around here. So I wouldn’t expect to see fresh figs unless the restaurant had made a special effort to procure them, in which I expect they would promote said accomplishment. On the other hand to just say “figs” when they are in fact dried figs seems a bit of misrepresentation even though they’d be delicious on a cheese plate or in a savory Moroccan tajine.
So I think you have to specify and if I just see “figs” I’m going to raise an eyebrow. Got to spell it out.
I would probably figure fresh. Usually the menu specifies. If I was interested in the dish, I might ask.
I pictured dried black figs when reading the post.
I would base my expectations on the food I was eating. Salad or garnish, I’d think fresh otherwise I’d expect dried or jam.
Unless otherwise specified.
It depends on the season. Ex: Fresh:In late summer my brother’s fig tree produces an embarrassment on riches. Dried: At Christmastime we make traditional Italian fig cookies that are prized by my relatives and friends. That said, however, if they are “mentioned” on a menu, they are likely dried. Figs are a treasure and fresh ones would be featured, not merely mentioned.
Also, price would also be a factor; higher for fresh. (Happens a lot with crab, as in if it’s under $10 it’s definitely not crab).
If in a salad or dessert, fresh. If cooked, dried.
On a menu in Albany NY, I would assume dried.
Dried.
Given where we live, if the menu didn’t specify my initial assumption would be that they are dried (although, if they were in season – I would cross my fingers and hope for something fresh…).
Here in Albany, dried. In the Mediterranean, fresh.
For me it would rarely happen, but I’d assume dried. The few times it has been otherwise on a menu it has specified “Fresh Figs”. I’m no great lover of figs, so I don’t seek them out.
I LIKE FIGS AND HAM.
We has two fig trees in pots on our back porch. However, we are up in elevation about 1400′ and the weather surprised us and they died. Even in Connecticut, my father carefully wraps his fig tree every winter. So, to make a long story short, near Albany, NY, I would expect to find dried figs on a menu, rather than fresh.
Living in this part of the country, I would probably assume dried. If they were fresh, I would think the “fresh” part would be highlighted and promoted.
I like this experiment…
I’d NEVER assume anything and always ask.. They are available here I believe twice yearly shipped probably from California. This my favorite fruit and you can get good ones at honest weight. I was in a whole foods the end of last summer and they had copious quantities at an incredible price. There must have been a bumper crop. Fig heaven!!!
I would not give it much thought or make assumptions because I enjoy them fresh and dried. I would however keep reading and probably order the menu item!
Has this experiment gone anywhere or was it simply a question?