The fig is a sweet, fleshy food enjoyed globally, but its internal structure is unique among common fruits. When you bite into the soft center, you are consuming a complex botanical arrangement that defies the typical definition of a fruit. Understanding the fig’s center requires knowing how it develops. This unique structure and its formation process result from an intricate partnership with a tiny insect.
The Fig’s True Identity
A fig is not technically a fruit, but a specialized structure known as a syconium. This is a thick, fleshy receptacle that forms an enclosed, hollow vessel. It is essentially an inverted flower cluster, where hundreds of minute flowers line the inner wall of the chamber.
The fig tree (Ficus genus) keeps its reproductive parts hidden inside this casing. The only natural opening to this floral chamber is a small pore at the end called the ostiole. Because of this inverted arrangement, the flowers inside cannot be pollinated by wind or typical flying insects.
Components Found Inside
The center of the fig is composed of two primary elements, which are the ripened parts of the floral cluster. The sweet, pink or red pulp that constitutes the majority of the fig is the enlarged, ripened tissue of the syconium wall. This fleshy part develops to attract animals for seed dispersal.
The gritty texture comes from the hundreds of tiny, crunchy structures dispersed throughout the pulp. These are the true fruits of the fig, called achenes. Each achene is a small, single-seeded unit that developed from an individual fertilized flower lining the inner wall.
The Essential Pollination Partnership
The formation of these internal components, including viable seeds within the achenes, depends on a unique symbiotic relationship with the fig wasp. The female fig wasp must enter the fig through the narrow ostiole to lay her eggs and, in the process, carries pollen from another fig. This entry is often difficult, causing the wasp to lose its wings and antennae, making it a one-way trip.
Once inside, the wasp pollinates some flowers, ensuring seed development in the long-styled flowers. It also lays its eggs in the ovaries of short-styled flowers, which then develop into protective galls for the developing wasp larvae. The female wasp dies shortly after completing pollination and oviposition.
For edible varieties of fig, such as Ficus carica, a common misconception is that the dead wasp remains inside. However, the fig contains a protein-digesting enzyme called ficin that breaks down the wasp’s body before the fig fully ripens. Furthermore, many commercially grown figs are parthenocarpic, meaning they are bred to develop without pollination or the involvement of a wasp, resulting in a seedless fruit.