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The fig – a fruit beautiful, attracting to itself to test it, with a surprising fleshy structure, and besides it is improbably fragrant. I think you agree that there are not so many fruits which can be eaten entirely, without cleaning their thin skin and without being afraid to swallow a stone. One is bad: in a fresh kind it cannot keep long, maximum a couple of days and it is not subject to transportation.

ORIENT has asked a person who often “deals" with the fig, about features of this fruit.

Maryam Kurambaeva, the inhabitant of the northern region of Turkmenistan says: «I will begin with the fact that the fig somewhere is considered as a tree of good luck and protector of home, and somewhere - a sacred tree. And in the Ko-ran the fig is mentioned as one of paradise plants. It is visible that it is true, after all, parasites cannot do anything to it and there are almost no its enemy in na-ture. The soil under it does not need to be fertilised, therefore the fig grows on the poorest soil».

Worldwide there are about 150 varieties of this sweetest fruit which can be fla-vovirent, brown-violet and even black colours. Inherently, the fig is not fruit, and a receptacle which comprises fruits.

• We have two species of fig: that one which produces fruits at the end of May - the beginning of June, and another one that bears fruits at the end of August. It happens that spring fruits in cold weather have not time to grow ripe completely and have low flavouring qualities in this connection we remove them for acceler-ation of maturing of the basic crop, - Maryam continues.

They gather fig fruits manually, very carefully, choosing the ripest fruits and try-ing not to damage them. One can grow the fig in n an open ground only as cover crop. It seldom takes out strong frosts, therefore needs good shelter during the cold period.

The taste of fig depends both on the species and from in what phase of maturing it has been picked, how much sugar it keeps and so on. Certainly, weather condi-tions very strongly influence the quality of fig. one year it can keep more sugar, another year - less, in general, it all almost looks like as grapes.

The question how one can correctly choose fig, Maryam has answered: «It is necessary to look that it should not have mechanical damages: they will acceler-ate its damage, and may be, it has already started to get rotted. It is also possible to consider a hole on the top of its fruit - if the liquid therefrom comes out, fer-mentation has already begun. And if the fruit is dry, not got damp and not crushed it is a good fig».

Many legends go about this paradise fruit - fig. After all ancient doctors used fruit and its leaves as a medicine for cough, warm illnesses and illnesses of throat, against excess weight, stress and even diabetes. The fig contains a considerable quantity of cellulose, mineral substances and vitamins. The fig has a lot of seeds, and the more, they are, the tastier it is considered.

The fig can be used both in in fresh, and frozen. One can make jam and confiture from it. Fig fruits are preserved and dried.

Mahri Yagmurova