Kadota

Kadota traces to Sawtelle, in Southern California, where horticulturist Stephen H. Taft is credited with discovering and naming it, sometime before his death, as an especially productive individual tree found within an orchard of Dottato figs. That original tree first appeared in an orchard grown by Cyrus Way of Whittier, California, using cuttings supplied by Theo. Hockett from his own Dottato orchard — meaning Kadota very likely originated as a naturally occurring "sport," or bud mutation, of the Italian Dottato variety rather than being identical to it, even though the two names are still sometimes used interchangeably. By 1946, Kadota accounted for more than 15 percent of California's entire commercial fig production, driven by its consistent quality, high sugar content, and suitability for canning and drying. The fruit has a yellow-green skin, cream to amber flesh, and a mild honey flavor, tending to be somewhat less sweet than many other varieties, which historically made it especially popular for cooking and baking rather than only fresh eating.