Medium-ripe figs halved and layered with sugar for three hours until they release their juice, then cooked over gentle heat with lemon juice and whole cloves until the jam sets.
The old Levantine preserve at one to one: a kilo of sugar for every kilo of figs, the ratio that keeps it a year with no preservatives.
The three hours of layering are not idle waiting, because the sugar draws the water out of the figs by osmosis, so the cooking happens in the figs' own syrup rather than in added water.
Wash the figs well, drain them of water, and cut them into halves.
In a bowl, arrange the figs with the sugar: a layer of sugar then a layer of figs, and so on until both are used up, and leave them for three hours until the water in the figs comes out.
In a pot over gentle heat, put the figs with the sugar and stir a little until you are sure the sugar has dissolved, then leave it.
Pour in the lemon juice and add the cloves, and leave it until it cooks down and the jam sets.
Ladle the jam hot into clean dry jars, seal them, and leave them to cool.
The glycemic index (GI) measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar, while the glycemic load (GL) measures how much a full serving raises it. Together they give the complete picture.
A low value (≤55) means a gradual rise in blood sugar — the most suitable range for diabetes and insulin resistance.
Glycemic load reflects the impact of the full serving. To lower it: take half a serving, or pair the recipe with a source of protein and fiber.
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000-calorie diet per FDA food-label reference values — your daily needs may be higher or lower. Values are derived from the recipe's ingredients via the USDA database.
The most common problems when preparing Fig Jam with Cloves, and how to fix them:
It has not cooked long enough. The sign is a drop on a cold plate that holds and does not run, and the lemon helps it set.
The cooking ran long or the lemon was short. Lemon juice keeps the sugar from crystallizing, so stay with the source's amount.
It is natural at the start of the boil. Skim it off with a spoon and the jam comes out clear in color.
The figs were overripe or the stirring was too much. The source calls for medium-ripe figs, neither soft nor firm.
In a cool dark place for up to a year, since the high proportion of sugar is the preservative.
In the refrigerator for up to two months, using a clean dry spoon each time.
Hot, into jars that are clean and completely dry, because any drop of water opens the door to mold.
Visible mold, a fermented smell, or a swollen lid: throw out the whole jar.
| Original Ingredient | Tested Substitute | Ratio | Flavor Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar | Three quarters of the amount | 1500 g | A gentler sweetness and more fig flavor, but the shelf life shortens so it is kept in the refrigerator. |
| Cloves | A cinnamon stick and cardamom | 1 stick with 4 pods | A closer Gulf perfume, and gentler than the sharpness of cloves. |
| Fresh figs | Soaked dried figs | 1000 g soaked | Available out of season, and it needs water in the cooking and less sugar. |
| Lemon juice | Citric acid | 3 g | The old preserving pantry's substitute, and it plays the same role in preventing crystallization. |
| Servings | Figs | Sugar | Cloves | Lemon juice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 servings (half the amount) | 1000 g | 1000 g | 1 g | 45 ml |
| 10 servings (base) | 2000 g | 2000 g | 2 g | 90 ml |
| 20 servings (double) | 4000 g | 4000 g | 4 g | 180 ml |
Do not stir the jam much while it bubbles: constant stirring mashes the figs and turns the jam into a paste, and what you want is visible fig halves in a heavy syrup. And lift the cloves out at jarring time if you like, since their flavor sharpens over the days.
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