Honey Figs | What are they? And the many varieties that fall under this category.
What is a honey fig?!
Honey figs look like they contain honey! I think that's probably the best definition and why the name is appropriate, but when you eat a honey fig, they don't exactly resemble bee honey in terms of flavor and texture. It's the fig's version of bee honey. Honey figs are high in melon flavor with a honey-like sugar and nectar. They're very sweet. Frequently the honey is visible pooling in the void or dripping from the eye. Once the fig is overloaded with nectar, it tends to leak out and solidify.
Dotatto - This fig is without a doubt the poster child for this category of figs. It's the textbook example of what a honey fig should be. It's been around for potentially 1000s of years in Europe as a fig that was sold commercially. Dotatto is what a lot of the older generation of Italian immigrants in the US think of first when they think of figs. They love this fig and this profile. Most of them (my Grandfather included) grew up with these figs. To them, they're even more valuable than berry figs. Other names you may hear for this fig are Peter's Honey or Kadota.
Mary Lane Seedless
White Marseilles - One of the best choices in humid weather among these types and highly underrated in terms of flavor. This fig has SO many names like Dotatto does. Originally it is believed to have been imported by Thomas Jefferson. In fact, at Monticello you can find this fig growing and they even sell it there. I imagine many immigrants since that time have also imported their own version of White Marseilles. It's quite common in Europe. It's easily identifiable by the brown seeds contrasting on the white pulp that eventually turns a more amber color as it ripens.
LSU Gold - A child of Celeste that was bred by LSU in their breeding program back in the 1950s. It's large, often a poor choice in humid locations, but tasty.
LSU Champagne - This is a really nice honey fig. Why? It was bred with Celeste and has superior qualities to perform well in humid locations. It also grows extremely fast and produces more figs than the majority of trees. What I love about it is the super short susceptibility window or hang time that allows it to completely avoid rainy days during the warmer part of the growing season.
Yellow Long Neck, Long Yellow & Golden Rainbow - These figs are HUGE! Definitely the most massive of this type and would make any Italian Grandpa drool. Very popular on the west coast and it's gaining traction thanks to Robert & Ben B. in Seattle. It's also quite early, which is a nice surprise for a fig so large! I think this fig may even have some decent commercial potential.
Koura Black - This is a fig found by my friend Bass Samaan of treesofjoy.com somewhere in the Middle East. A lot of those cultures highly value honey figs like Italian immigrants and my personal opinion is that some of the best honey figs in the world can be found there. Koura Black and Sweet Joy are definitely some of them and were both introduced by Bass.
Other honey figs are:
Izbat an Naj - A favorite at offthebeatenpathnursery.com for its distinct banana flavor.
La Magdeleine - A Figues du Monde fig that's very early and tolerant of low light conditions.
Marangiana - A very tasty Italian heirloom fig.
Iraqi Unk
Moscatel Branco
A store bought commercial fig. Likely a variation of Dotatto.
