The fig tree (Ficus carica) is one of the earliest plants cultivated for its sweet fruit. Originally a native of western Asia, the Romans and Greeks dispersed figs throughout the Mediterranean. Spanish missionaries brought figs to North America in the early 1700s. Here in the United States, there are two fig species—the Florida strangler (Ficus aurea) and the shortleaf fig (Ficus citrifoliar).

Figs have unique flowers. Unlike most flowers that display their parts for all to see, fig flowers bloom inside their “fruit.” Botanically speaking, the fig is not a fruit but an inverted flower that grows in a pear-shaped bloom.  When the female flowers are ready for pollination, they emit an odor to attract female wasps. While entering the narrow opening of the fig, the wasp’s wings and antennae break off, preventing the wasp from escaping. The female crawls around and lays its eggs in some of the flowers. The wasp dies within the fig, where enzymes dissolve its body.

Once the tiny larvae hatch, they eat the flowers’ seeds. Not all seeds are devoured; many seeds will endure. After a few weeks, the larvae develop into tiny male and female wasps. The males mate with the females inside the fig. Like their mother, these wingless males die within the fig and are absorbed by the plant. The male flowers are now full of pollen, and the young female wasps escape with some of the pollen to find another fig’s female flowers to pollinate.  

So, are the crunchy bits in fig cookies the bodies of dead wasps? No! They are the seeds of the fig. There are many species and varieties of figs in the world. Many commercially grown figs do not require wasps to pollinate them. Figs are nutritious and high in potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and copper. So, enjoy those fig cookies.