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The Tale of the Wasp and the Fig
There is a notion that the fig is not vegan and so I’m about to tell you a wee story as to why some may think this.
Once upon a time…
Just kidding. Although this is a really cool story.
First, let me begin with a very quick botany lesson. A fig is not a fruit. True statement. The fig is actually (in botanical terminology) an inflorescence. The meaning of inflorescence is a cluster of flowers on the main axis (peduncle). The timing of the flowering also comes into it, but that’s just going to complicate it for you. Look it up in the Encyclopaedia Britannica
However, the fig is slightly different in that it is an inside-out inflorescence. They are hollow, fleshy structures composed of a modified stem which is line with hundreds of minute flowers.
Now that you know the basic composition of the fig and all its flowers obviously it is going to need to be pollinated. Enter the wasp. The fig wasp to be precise.
