Fig Jam

This fig jam recipe is one i grew up with, it’s my mom’s (I even had her on video during the making of this recipe and she approved everything), and we always had a jar in the fridge. When she’d make fig confiture, the whole kitchen smelled amazing and we’d all get excited!

What I love about this recipe is that it uses dried figs, so you can make it anytime, not just when figs are in season (and dried figs are way cheaper than fresh ones). It only takes four ingredients and about 30 minutes, and it keeps well in the fridge for weeks.

In my mom’s original recipe, she uses “Oter” (عطر), which is a type of aromatic plant she boils to infuse the jam. If you can’t find it, rose water is a good alternative. She also adds “Mestke” (مسكة), mastic gum, a resin from the mastic tree that gives a unique, slightly pine-like aroma. But, I couldn’t find these and I didn’t want a recipe with ingredients that are hard to find so she told me to use lemon juice on it’s own. If you do have these ingredients, feel free to use them! But, the taste of the jam without these ingredients really hit home! For me, I will be making it without these ingredients whenever I make it!

Now let me show you how to make this delicious and easy to make fig confiture using dried figs.

Ingredients to make fig jam using dried figs:

• Dried figs: These are the star of the recipe, of course. Dried figs bring deep, rich flavor and natural sweetness that gets even better as they simmer. The best thing is that they’re available year-round, and are way cheaper than fresh figs (They’re really budget-friendly where I live, curious if that’s the case for you too?).
• Water: We use water to create the base syrup by mixing water and granulated sugar.
• Granulated sugar: I use organic cane sugar, you can use regular white granulated sugar or even brown sugar if you prefer! Like mentioned, the sugar will be dissolved with the water to create the base syrup for this jam.
• Lemon juice: plays an important part in this recipe, lemon juice prevents the sugar from crystallizing as the jam cools. You will not taste it in the recipe, it might just add a bit of tanginess. I use fresh lemons, you can use bottled lemon (whatever you have on hand).
• Toasted sesame seeds (optional): these are totally optional but this is my mom’s recipe and when I asked her if it’s necessary she said “not really”, then she paused and said “but I love the taste they add to the jam, use them!”. So, yes, they are optional but my mom recommends adding them.

Measurements are posted in the recipe card below the instructions.

• Pour the water and sugar into a saucepan and place it over medium heat. Let it warm up slowly so the sugar starts to dissolve. You can stir it once or twice so the sugar doesn’t stick to the bottom, but no need to keep stirring the whole time.

• While the sugar is melting, take your dried figs and chop them into small pieces. They don’t have to be perfect, but smaller chunks work better and soften faster.

• Once the sugar has completely dissolved and the mixture looks clear, add the chopped figs to the saucepan. Mix well so the figs are fully coated in the syrup.
• Keep the heat on medium and bring everything to a boil. Once it starts bubbling, add the lemon juice and stir again.

• Let the jam cook gently on medium heat until the water reduces a bit. Don’t let it dry out completely, you want a thick mixture with a bit of syrup left. This usually takes a few minutes, so keep an eye on it. Don’t worry if you feel it is too dry, you ca always fix it later.
• When the texture looks thick but not dry, turn off the heat. You can leave the jam as it is, or use a hand blender to break it down. I like blending about three-quarters of the jam and leaving the rest chunky for a bit of texture.

• Sprinkle in some toasted sesame seeds at the end, just a small handful or to your taste. Mix well, then transfer the jam to a clean, sterilized jar.