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What Is Fig Butter?

Gregory Hanson
Gregory Hanson

Fig butter is a rich and sweet spread made from figs. One variety is a true fruit butter and is made by cooking and condensing figs into a rich paste. A second variety of fig butter is much simpler, and is made by combining fig preserves and butter or a butter substitute. Either variety can serve the same culinary functions as a traditional fruit butter. The fruit butter variety is commonly available for purchase in larger stores.

People throughout the world enjoy the sweet flavor of fresh figs. These fruit are notorious for traveling poorly, however, and fresh figs are rarely available outside of areas where fig trees grow naturally. Furthermore, figs are typically very hard to find during the time of the year when trees are not bearing fruit, as the fruit also do not keep for long.

Whole and cut fig.
Whole and cut fig.

Many fruits do not travel well. Historically, fruit preserves were used mostly to ensure a steady supply of nutritious and flavorful fruit products during periods of the year when they were not locally available. Fruit preserves, including fruit butters, rely on cooking and canning processes to first sterilize and then protect fresh fruit. The cooking process kills any microbes present in fresh fruit, as well as making the fresh fruit much easier to store. Canning then prevents any new microbes from entering the fruit and causing decomposition.

Figs growing on the tree.
Figs growing on the tree.

The creation of this type of fig butter is similar to that of any other traditional fruit butter. Such a recipe generally involves cooking the figs at a low temperature for two or more hours, until they are thoroughly softened. A small amount of additional liquid is typically added as well, to make the resulting butter easier to spread. Spices, such as cloves or cinnamon, can be added to taste. The cooked figs are then mashed or processed into a buttery paste.

Dried figs.
Dried figs.

Once a batch of fig butter has been cooked and processed, it is generally canned. The fig butter is placed into jars so that there is no empty space. These jars are sealed, and a hot water bath is used to kill any remaining bacteria. After this process is complete, fig butter is shelf-stable for months or years.

Another variety of fig butter is made by mixing ordinary butter or a butter substitute with preserved figs. Butter and honey are often mixed in this fashion, and the sweetness of preserved figs goes just as well with rich and salty butter as does the more traditional honey. This variety of fig butter should be refrigerated and has quite a short shelf-life.

Discussion Comments

tigers88

There is a little Mediterranean restaurant close to my house that makes amazing fig butter. You get a little dish at the start of your meal but I usually request more. It tastes great on everything..

summing

A friend of mine gave me a whole box of figs last year and I was at a total loss for what to do with them. I like figs a lot but how often do you really have an occasion to use them? By total coincidence I came across a recipe for fig preserves just a few days after I got them and I decided that's what I would use most of my figs for since they were going to go bad eventually.

The preserves turned out great and I still have some. I eat them straight on toast but I also love to make fig butter. It is a surprisingly good compliment to meats like chicken or pork. The butter adds some juiciness and the figs add flavor.

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    • Whole and cut fig.
      Whole and cut fig.
    • Figs growing on the tree.
      Figs growing on the tree.
    • Dried figs.
      By: SK
      Dried figs.