Sarilop Fig

Sarilop (also spelled Sarı Lop) takes its name from the Turkish words sarı ("yellow") and lop ("delicious"), and has been grown for centuries in Turkey's Meander (Menderes) Valley in the Aydın and İzmir provinces of the Aegean region — historically referred to as Smyrna figs, after İzmir's ancient Greek name. This is the same variety known in the United States as Calimyrna: California's first commercial planting was made in 1886, but because Sarilop is a genuine Smyrna-type fig requiring pollination by the fig wasp, no crop was produced until a wasp colony was successfully established in 1900 on a caprifig belonging to grower George Roeding. Roeding then held a contest, offering a $25 prize for the best new name for the variety as grown in California; the winning name, "Calimyrna," has been used in the US ever since. In 2016, Turkish fig production from this variety was formally recognized by the European Commission with Protected Designation of Origin status under the name "Aydın Inciri" (Aydın Figs), reflecting the region where the majority of production has concentrated in recent decades. The fruit is large, pale yellow-green skinned with amber flesh and a rich, nutty-sweet flavor especially prized for drying.