Figs are one of those things I've only started to eat in the last couple of years. In the past, my only familiarity with it was in the form of dried figs, which my mother used to make one of her signature soups. Growing up, no matter the temperature, my mother would make a big pot of soup weekly. These Chinese soups started with either a whole chicken or chunks of pork (no boxes of chicken stock) and involved hours of simmering on the stove; one of my favorites was one with dried figs.
But fresh figs? I was a picky eater (and still admittedly selective to this day) so they were not something I'd voluntarily eat, to be frank. Now, I realize figs are not only nutritious but add a lovely touch of sweetness to anything from salads to savory meat dishes.
When I saw a feature on figs from one of the recent issues of Cooking Light, it really got me thinking about them and I started keeping a lookout for figs at the market. I finally spotted some the other day at Whole Foods so I bought a few. I went with mostly black mission figs as well as a couple of brown turkey figs (which I'd never heard of until the article). I looked for soft, ripe figs since I learned that they will not ripen any further after picking. In my case, as I somewhat expected, the mission figs were sweeter than the brown turkey ones.
