Kumilio P.C.

The Kimi Fig

The fig is native to the Mediterranean countries, the Middle East ones included. Though rich in nutritional elements, the fresh fig – as compared to other fresh fruits – is short-lived. That’s why ever since the ancient times fig producers have turned to sun-drying it for the sake of prolonged preservation with no harm to its nutritional value.

Ancient times

In ancient Greece, the dried frig is recorded to have been part of the athletes’ diet while training themselves for the Olympic Games but it was also indispensable for soldiers during war expeditions.

Especially in Kimi

Owing to the microclimate of the area, the figs’ extra fine skin does not allow them a long life on shelves as fresh fruits. So, the Kimi people have, too, turned to sun-drying them, inventing, however, an innovative method: each fig is slit open and let dry opened up. When sun-dried, the figs are brought together in pairs giving shape to the “askada”, the well-known “Kimi fig”.

This outstanding technique dates back to the16th century while during the 18th century’s commercial booming of Kimi and its port, the Kimi figs became the region’s leading export product.

Since 1993, the Kimi Fig has been acknowledged by the EU as a PDO product.

Today

The process we are following today is the traditional one down to every detail. This is so owing to the fine nature of the fig, which excludes any mechanical processing. Cropping, laying the figs on racks under the sunlight and their matching in pairs can only be done by hand. From cropping down to packaging each single fig may go through the producer’s hands as many as even 20 times!
That’s why we, in Kumilio, call our figs “by nature, handpicked!”.