Instructions: Fig trees probably originated in Asia Minor but they grow wild all over the Mediterranean as they are quite hardy with strong roots. They can survive the dry and hot summer months without need of watering and still produce their sugary fruit.

In ancient Greece the fig tree and its fruit had erotic connotations and played a strong part in folklore. With its strong smell the tree is apparently a powerful hallucinatory source and in Greek folklore people are not supposed to sleep under it as they may go mad. Figs were served in ancient Greece as an appetizer. Athenaeos quotes the poet Lynceus of Samos who mentions the local custom of eating figs with the appetizers rather than among the desserts. He was my inspiration for the dish of figs with Mozzarella cheese on page 46. Figs contain calcium potassium and iron.

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