Fruit

Calimyrna

A tier

Calimyrna is the California-grown Sari Lop (Smyrna) type—large, nutty-sweet figs with green-gold to light amber skin and amber flesh that dries into the classic large, pale, crunchy-seeded “Calimyrna” dried fig of grocery shelves. Unlike common-type figs that set fruit without pollination, true Smyrna types require caprification (pollination by the fig wasp from caprifig trees), which shaped California’s specialised production system. Fresh Calimyrna is less common retail than dried; when available it is large, aromatic, and distinctly nutty. Dried Calimyrna is the baking and snacking reference for light-coloured dried figs—chewier and nuttier than black dried Mission. Rehydrate in wine, tea, or stock for stews and desserts. Fresh fruit, when you find it, deserves simple service with cheese or cream. The name fuses “California” and “Smyrna,” signalling New World production of an Old World pollination-dependent type.