The common fig (Ficus carica L.) belongs to the Eusyce section of the Moraceae, with over 1,400 species classified into about 40 genera. The fig tree has been distributed from Persia, Asia Minor, and Syria by people throughout the Mediterranean area. It has been an important food crop for thousands of years and is thought to be highly beneficial in the diet. Thousands of cultivars, mostly unnamed, have been developed or came into existence as human migration brought the fig to many places outside its natural range.
The aim of this review of figs is to outline the variability and genetic resources and to integrate the current scientific information on morphology and development, horticultural requirements, fresh and dry handling, fig breeding, and neutraceutical and medical properties.