Food drying is a method of food preservation in which food is dried (dehydrated or desiccated ). Drying inhibits the growth of bacteria , yeasts , and mold through the removal of water . Dehydration has been used widely for this purpose since ancient times; the earliest known practice is 12,000 B.C. by inhabitants of the modern Asian and Middle Eastern regions. Water is traditionally removed through evaporation by using methods such as air drying, sun drying, smoking or wind drying, although today electric food dehydrators or freeze-drying can be used to speed the drying process and ensure more consistent results.
46-487: Daing , tuyô , buwad , or bilad ( lit. ' sun-dried ' or ' sun-baked ' ) are dried fish from the Philippines . Fish prepared as daing are usually split open (though they may be left whole), gutted, salted liberally, and then sun and air-dried. There are also "boneless" versions which fillet the fish before the drying process. It was originally a preservation technique, as salt inhibits
92-419: A syconium , derived from an arrangement of many small flowers on an inverted, nearly closed receptacle. The many small flowers are unseen unless the fig is cut open. The fruit typically has a bulbous shape with a small opening (the ostiole ) at the outward end that allows access to pollinators . The flowers are pollinated by very small wasps such as Pegoscapus that crawl through the opening in search of
138-404: A constant source of inspiration and wonder to biologists. Notably, three vegetative traits together are unique to figs. All figs present a white to yellowish latex , some in copious quantities; the twig shows paired stipules —or circular scars if the stipules have fallen off; the lateral veins at the base of the leaf are steep, forming a tighter angle with the midrib than the other lateral veins,
184-597: A distinctive shape or habit, and their fruits distinguish them from other plants. The fruit of Ficus is an inflorescence enclosed in an urn-like structure called a syconium , which is lined on the inside with the fig's tiny flowers that develop into multiple ovaries on the inside surface. In essence, the fig fruit is a fleshy stem with multiple tiny flowers that fruit and coalesce. The unique fig pollination system, involving tiny, highly specific wasps, known as fig wasps that enter via ostiole these subclosed inflorescences to both pollinate and lay their own eggs, has been
230-418: A feature referred to as "triveined". Current molecular clock estimates indicate that Ficus is a relatively ancient genus, being at least 60 million years old, and possibly as old as 80 million years. The main radiation of extant species, however, may have taken place more recently, between 20 and 40 million years ago. Some better-known species that represent the diversity of the genus include, alongside
276-515: A fibrous cloth used for clothing. Figs have figured prominently in some human cultures. There is evidence that figs, specifically the common fig ( F. carica ) and sycamore fig ( Ficus sycomorus ), were among the first – if not the very first – plant species that were deliberately bred for agriculture in the Middle East, starting more than 11,000 years ago. Nine subfossil F. carica figs dated to about 9400–9200 BCE were found in
322-689: A fresh fig, individual fruit will appear as fleshy "threads", each bearing a single seed inside. The genus Dorstenia , also in the fig family (Moraceae), exhibits similar tiny flowers arranged on a receptacle but in this case the receptacle is a more or less flat, open surface. Fig plants can be monoecious ( hermaphrodite ) or gynodioecious (hermaphrodite and female). Nearly half of fig species are gynodioecious, and therefore have some plants with inflorescences (syconium) with long styled pistillate flowers, and other plants with staminate flowers mixed with short styled pistillate flowers. The long-styled flowers tend to prevent wasps from laying their eggs within
368-443: A key resource for some frugivores including fruit bats , and primates including: capuchin monkeys , langurs , gibbons and mangabeys . They are even more important for birds such as Asian barbets , pigeons , hornbills , fig-parrots and bulbuls , which may almost entirely subsist on figs when these are in plenty. Many Lepidoptera caterpillars feed on fig leaves, for example several Euploea species (crow butterflies),
414-469: A long time. Industrial food dehydration is often accomplished by freeze-drying . In this case, food is flash frozen and put into a reduced-pressure system which causes the water to sublimate directly from the solid to the gaseous phase. Although freeze-drying is more expensive than traditional dehydration techniques, it also mitigates the change in flavor, texture, and nutritional value . In addition, another widely used industrial method of drying of food
460-886: A longer shelf-life from drying. Fruits may be used and named differently when dried. The plum becomes a prune , the grape a raisin . Figs and dates may be transformed into different products that can either be eaten as they are, used in recipes, or rehydrated. Freeze-dried vegetables are often found in food for backpackers, hunters, and the military. Garlic and onion are often dried and stored with their stalks braided . Edible mushrooms are sometimes dried for preservation or to be used as seasonings. Home drying of vegetables, fruit and meat can be carried out with electrical dehydrators (household appliance) or by sun-drying or by wind. Preservatives such as potassium metabisulfite , BHA , or BHT may be used, but are not required. However, dried products without these preservatives may require refrigeration or freezing to ensure safe storage for
506-448: A suitable place to lay eggs. Without this pollinator service fig trees could not reproduce by seed. In turn, the flowers provide a safe haven and nourishment for the next generation of wasps. This accounts for the frequent presence of wasp larvae in the fruit, and has led to a coevolutionary relationship. Technically, a fig fruit proper would be only one of the many tiny matured, seed-bearing gynoecia found inside one fig – if you cut open
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#1732791008873552-847: Is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees , shrubs , vines , epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae . Collectively known as fig trees or figs , they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The common fig ( F. carica ) is a temperate species native to southwest Asia and the Mediterranean region (from Afghanistan to Portugal), which has been widely cultivated from ancient times for its fruit , also referred to as figs. The fruit of most other species are also edible though they are usually of only local economic importance or eaten as bushfood . However, they are extremely important food resources for wildlife. Figs are also of considerable cultural importance throughout
598-528: Is a sura in Quran named "The Fig" or At-Tin (سوره تین). In Asia, figs are important in Buddhism and Hinduism . In Jainism , the consumption of any fruit belonging to this genus is prohibited. The Buddha is traditionally held to have found bodhi (enlightenment) while meditating for 49 days under a sacred fig . The same species was Ashvattha , the " world tree " of Hinduism. The Plaksa Pra-sravana
644-432: Is a gynodioecious plant, as well as lofty fig or clown fig ( F. aspera ), Roxburgh fig ( F. auriculata ), mistletoe fig ( F. deltoidea ), F. pseudopalma , creeping fig ( F. pumila ) and related species. The hermaphrodite common figs are called "inedible figs" or "caprifigs"; in traditional culture in the Mediterranean region they were considered food for goats ( Capra aegagrus ). In
690-425: Is an example of mutualism , in which each organism (fig plant and fig wasp ) benefit each other, in this case reproductively. The intimate association between fig species and their wasp pollinators, along with the high incidence of a one-to-one plant-pollinator ratio have long led scientists to believe that figs and wasps are a clear example of coevolution . Morphological and reproductive behavior evidence, such as
736-569: Is by far the largest genus in the Moraceae, and is one of the largest genera of flowering plants currently described. The species currently classified within Ficus were originally split into several genera in the mid-1800s, providing the basis for a subgeneric classification when reunited into one genus in 1867. This classification put functionally dioecious species into four subgenera based on floral characters. In 1965, E. J. H. Corner reorganized
782-779: Is considered poverty food because it's relatively cheap but has gained significance in Philippine culture as comfort food . Virtually any fish can be prepared as daing . The species of fish used is usually identified by name when sold in markets. For example, in Cebu , the local specialty which uses rabbitfish ( Siganus spp., locally known as danggit ), is called buwad danggit . Other fish species used include threadfin breams (Nemipteridae, locally known as bisugo ); grey mullets (Mugilidae, locally known as banak ); and sardines ( Sardinella spp. and Dussumieria acuta , locally known as tunsoy or tamban ). Daing made from sardines
828-441: Is convective hot air drying. Industrial hot air dryers are simple and easy to design, construct and maintain. More so, it is very affordable and has been reported to retain most of the nutritional properties of food if dried using appropriate drying conditions. Hurdle technology is the combination of multiple food preservation methods. Hurdle technology uses low doses of multiple food preservation techniques in order to ensure food
874-411: Is frequently found as a pest on figs grown as potted plants and is spread through the export of these plants to other localities. For a list of other diseases common to fig trees, see List of foliage plant diseases (Moraceae) . Many fig species are grown for their fruits, though only Ficus carica is cultivated to any extent for this purpose. A fig "fruit" is a type of multiple fruit known as
920-643: Is higher because not all wasp species were detected. On the other hand, species of wasps pollinate multiple host fig species. Molecular techniques, like microsatellite markers and mitochondrial sequence analysis, allowed a discovery of multiple genetically distinct, cryptic wasp species. Not all these cryptic species are sister taxa and thus must have experienced a host fig shift at some point. These cryptic species lacked evidence of genetic introgression or backcrosses indicating limited fitness for hybrids and effective reproductive isolation and speciation . The existence of cryptic species suggests that neither
966-539: Is not only safe but is desirable visually and texturally. Packaging ensures effective food preservation. Some methods of packaging that are beneficial to dehydrated food are vacuum sealed, inert gases, or gases that help regulate respiration, biological organisms, and growth of microorganisms . There are many different methods for drying, each with its own advantages for particular applications. These include: Ficus About 800, see text Ficus ( / ˈ f aɪ k ə s / or / ˈ f iː k ə s / )
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#17327910088731012-663: Is used to produce barkcloth in Uganda. Pou ( F. religiosa ) leaves' shape inspired one of the standard kbach rachana , decorative elements in Cambodian architecture. Indian banyan ( F. benghalensis ) and the Indian rubber plant, as well as other species, have use in herbalism . The inner bark of an unknown type of wild fig, locally known as urú , was once used by the Moré people [ es ] of Bolivia to produce
1058-472: Is usually dried whole, though exported daing may be gutted to comply with food laws in other countries. Cuttlefish and squid may also be prepared this way ( Tagalog : daing na pusit ; Cebuano: bulad pusit ). In Central and Southern Philippines, daing is known as bulad or buwad in Cebuano . The types of daing which use sliced and gutted fish are known as pinikas (literally "halved" referring to
1104-579: The common fig , whose fingered fig leaf is well known in art and iconography : the weeping fig ( F. benjamina ), a hemiepiphyte with thin, tough leaves on pendulous stalks adapted to its rain forest habitat; the rough-leaved sandpaper figs from Australia; and the creeping fig ( F. pumila ), a vine whose small, hard leaves form a dense carpet of foliage over rocks or garden walls. Moreover, figs with different plant habits have undergone adaptive radiation in different biogeographic regions, leading to very high levels of alpha diversity . In
1150-441: The plain tiger ( Danaus chrysippus ), the giant swallowtail ( Papilio cresphontes ), the brown awl ( Badamia exclamationis ), and Chrysodeixis eriosoma , Choreutidae and Copromorphidae moths . The citrus long-horned beetle ( Anoplophora chinensis ), for example, has larvae that feed on wood , including that of fig trees; it can become a pest in fig plantations. Similarly, the sweet potato whitefly ( Bemisia tabaci )
1196-481: The breba crop is often destroyed by spring frosts. Some parthenocarpic cultivars of common figs do not require pollination at all, and will produce a crop of figs (albeit sterile ) in the absence of caprifigs and fig wasps. Depending on the species, each fruit can contain hundreds or even thousand of seeds. Figs can be propagated by seeds, cuttings, air-layering or grafting. However, as with any plant, figs grown from seed are not necessarily genetically identical to
1242-439: The correspondence between fig and wasp larvae maturation rates, have been cited as support for this hypothesis for many years. Additionally, recent genetic and molecular dating analyses have shown a very close correspondence in the character evolution and speciation phylogenies of these two clades. According to meta-analysis of molecular data for 119 fig species 35% (41) have multiple pollinator wasp species. The real proportion
1288-469: The drying process altogether. Instead, after the fish is cleaned, it is simply marinated in vinegar, garlic, and other spices before frying. Drying (food) Many different foods can be prepared by dehydration. Meat has held a historically significant role. For centuries, much of the European diet depended on dried cod —known as salt cod , bacalhau (with salt), or stockfish (without). It formed
1334-547: The early Neolithic village Gilgal I (in the Jordan Valley , 13 km, or 8.1 mi, north of Jericho ). These were a parthenogenetic type and thus apparently an early cultivar. This find predates the first known cultivation of grain in the Middle East by many hundreds of years. Numerous species of fig are found in cultivation in domestic and office environments, including: Fig trees have profoundly influenced culture through several religious traditions. Among
1380-411: The family Agaonidae for pollination. Adult plants vary in size from Ficus benghalensis which may cover a hectare (2.5 acres) or more of ground to Ficus nana of New Guinea which never exceeds one meter (forty inches) in height and width. Specific identification of many of the species can be difficult, but members of the genus Ficus are relatively easy to recognize. Many have aerial roots and
1426-420: The female fig trees, the male flower parts fail to develop; they produce the "'edible figs". Fig wasps grow in common fig caprifigs but not in the female syconiums because the female flower is too long for the wasp to successfully lay her eggs in them. Nonetheless, the wasp pollinates the flower with pollen from the caprifig it grew up in. In many situations, the wasp pollinator is unable to escape and dies within
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1472-457: The fruit. When the wasp dies, it is broken down by enzymes ( Ficain ) inside the fig. Fig wasps are not known to transmit any diseases harmful to humans. When a caprifig ripens, another caprifig must be ready to be pollinated. In temperate climes, wasps hibernate in figs, and there are distinct crops. Caprifigs have three crops per year; common figs have two. The first crop ( breba ) is larger and juicier, and usually eaten fresh. In cold climates
1518-421: The genus on the basis of breeding system, uniting these four dioecious subgenera into a single dioecious subgenus Ficus . Monoecious figs were classified within the subgenera Urostigma , Pharmacosycea and Sycomorus . This traditional classification has been called into question by recent phylogenetic studies employing genetic methods to investigate the relationships between representative members of
1564-424: The growth of bacteria, allowing fish to be stored for long periods of time. Daing is fried or grilled before consumption, though it can also be wrapped in foil and baked in an oven. It is usually dipped in vinegar and eaten with white rice for breakfast. Notably, it is traditionally paired with champorado (traditional Filipino chocolate rice gruel). It can also be used as an ingredient in other dishes. Daing
1610-482: The halves of the fish). Northern regions usually do not distinguish between the two, though some may use daing to refer exclusively to the halved and gutted types, while tuyô is used for all types of daing. A variant of daing known as labtingaw uses less salt and is dried for a much shorter period (only a few hours). The resulting daing is still slightly moist and meatier than the fully dried variant. Another variant of daing known as lamayo , does away with
1656-591: The main protein source for the slaves on the West Indian plantations, and was a major economic force within the triangular trade . Dried fish most commonly cod or haddock, known as Harðfiskur , is a delicacy in Iceland , while dried reindeer meat is a traditional Sámi food . Dried meats include prosciutto ( Parma ham ), bresaola , biltong and beef jerky . Dried fruits have been consumed historically due to their high sugar content and sweet taste, and
1702-513: The more famous species are the sacred fig tree (Pipal, bodhi, bo, or po, Ficus religiosa ) and other banyan figs such as Ficus benghalensis . The oldest living plant of known planting date is a Ficus religiosa tree known as the Sri Maha Bodhi planted in the temple at Anuradhapura , Sri Lanka by King Tissa in 288 BCE. The common fig is one of two significant trees in Islam , and there
1748-400: The number of symbionts nor their evolutionary relationships are necessarily fixed ecologically. While the morphological characteristics that facilitate the fig-wasp mutualisms are likely to be shared more fully in closer relatives, the absence of unique pairings would make it impossible to do a one-to-one tree comparison and difficult to determine cospeciation. With over 800 species, Ficus
1794-464: The other section of Pharmacosycea , the rest of the monoecious species, and all of the dioecious species. These remaining species are divided into two main monophyletic lineages (though the statistical support for these lineages is not as strong as for the monophyly of the more derived clades within them). One consists of all sections of Urostigma except for section Urostigma s. s. . The other includes section Urostigma s. s. , subgenus Sycomorus , and
1840-584: The ovules, while the short-styled flowers are accessible for egg laying. All the native fig trees of the American continent are hermaphrodites, as well as species like Indian banyan ( F. benghalensis ), weeping fig ( F. benjamina ), Indian rubber plant ( F. elastica ), fiddle-leaved fig ( F. lyrata ), Moreton Bay fig ( F. macrophylla ), Chinese banyan ( F. microcarpa ), sacred fig ( F. religiosa ) and sycamore fig ( F. sycomorus ). The common fig ( Ficus carica )
1886-526: The parent and are only propagated this way for breeding purposes. Each species of fig is pollinated by one or a few specialised wasp species, and therefore plantings of fig species outside of their native range results in effectively sterile individuals. For example, in Hawaii , some 60 species of figs have been introduced, but only four of the wasps that fertilize them, so only those species of figs produce viable seeds there and can become invasive species . This
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1932-858: The species of subgenus Ficus , though the relationships of the sections of these groups to one another are not well resolved. As of April 2024, there are 880 accepted Ficus species according to Plants of the World Online . The following species are typically spreading or climbing lianas : The wood of fig trees is often soft and the latex precludes its use for many purposes. It was used to make mummy caskets in Ancient Egypt . Certain fig species (mainly F. cotinifolia , F. insipida and F. padifolia ) are traditionally used in Mesoamerica to produce papel amate ( Nahuatl : āmatl ). Mutuba ( F. natalensis )
1978-502: The tropics, Ficus commonly is the most species-rich plant genus in a particular forest. In Asia, as many as 70 or more species can co-exist. Ficus species richness declines with an increase in latitude in both hemispheres. A description of fig tree cultivation is set out in Ibn al-'Awwam 's 12th-century agricultural work titled, Book on Agriculture . Figs are keystone species in many tropical forest ecosystems . Their fruit are
2024-443: The tropics, both as objects of worship and for their many practical uses. Ficus is a pantropical genus of trees, shrubs, and vines occupying a wide variety of ecological niches ; most are evergreen , but some deciduous species are found in areas outside of the tropics and to higher elevations. Fig species are characterized by their unique inflorescence and distinctive pollination syndrome , which uses wasp species belonging to
2070-407: The various sections of each subgenus. Of Corner's original subgeneric divisions of the genus, only Sycomorus is supported as monophyletic in the majority of phylogenetic studies. Notably, there is no clear split between dioecious and monoecious lineages. One of the two sections of Pharmacosycea , a monoecious group, form a monophyletic clade basal to the rest of the genus, which includes
2116-686: Was said to be a fig tree between the roots of which the Sarasvati River sprang forth; it is usually held to be a sacred fig but more probably is Ficus virens . According to the Kikuyu people , sacrifices to Ngai were performed under a sycomore tree (Mũkũyũ) and if one was not available, a fig tree (Mũgumo) would be used. The common fig tree is cited in the Bible , where in Genesis 3:7, Adam and Eve cover their nakedness with fig leaves. The fig fruit
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