Vijg

Vijg is the Dutch word for the fig, the fruit of the Ficus carica. The singular form is een vijg and the plural is vijgen. It is a common noun in Dutch and appears in cooking, horticulture, and everyday speech.

The fig is a small, pear-shaped fruit with a sweet, soft interior and a thin skin that can be green, purple, or brown depending on the cultivar. Fresh figs are eaten ripe, while dried figs are used in a variety of dishes across many cuisines. In Dutch cooking, figs are often enjoyed in desserts, jams, and baking, and may be paired with cheese or nuts to balance sweetness.

Cultivation-wise, fig trees prefer warm, dry climates and are widely grown in Mediterranean regions. The climate of the Netherlands is generally not suitable for large-scale outdoor fig production, so Dutch markets primarily rely on imports for fresh fruit and on dried figs from exporters such as Turkey and Spain. Some specialty growers and researchers explore greenhouse cultivation or seasonal production in milder areas, but such efforts remain limited in scale.

In addition to its culinary uses, vijg appears in cultural and regional contexts as a reference to the fruit itself. The term is primarily used in Dutch language sources and recipes, with its meaning understood in everyday vocabulary.

See also: fig, Ficus carica, Dutch language.