The fig tree is a typical plant of the Mediterranean basin that is well established throughout the province of Bari. For millennia it has contributed to characterizing the Mediterranean rural landscape. In northern Bari, the harvest begins with fig-flowers, which ripen in June-July, and continues with fig-fornites from August through October. A curiosity about this fruit is that figs are actually inverted flowers called syconium: the flesh of the fig is made up of the ripe flowers, which bloom inside the skin.
When harvested, the fruit must already be ripe from the tree, because otherwise it will not ripen further, have a smooth, intact skin and be soft, fleshy, yielding to the touch, but not excessively soft and with a unique, sweet flavor.
Among the cultivated varieties, originating in Apulia, we have the very productive “Domenico Tauro,” with large, globular fruits, green skin tending to violet and good resistance to handling and transport.
On the farms of the Producers’ Organization “La Preferita O.P. Pugliese,” in addition to the Domenico Tauro variety, the Borgiotto nero and Borgiotto bianco varieties are also cultivated.
Production period: June, July.