Cape Malay Preserved Green Figs In Syrup (Vye Konfyt)
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- 2 litres water (approximately 8 cups)
- 38 grams salt (approximately 30 ml or 2 tablespoons)
- 1.125 kg unripe green figs
- 3 litres water (approximately 12 cups)
- 5 ml bicarbonate of soda (approximately 1 teaspoon)
- 28.5 grams salt (approximately 22.5 ml or 1.5 tablespoons )
- 1.2 kg fine granulated sugar (approximately 1500 ml or 6 cups)
- 500 ml water (approximately 2 cups)
- 30 ml lemon juice (approximately 2 tablespoons)
- Scrape the unripe figs and cut any brown tips off the stalks.
- Use a sharp knife to make crosswise slits at the stalk end of the fig. Alternately you may make the crosswise slit at the bottom end of each fig.
- Prick the figs and place in a deep bowl with 2 liters of water and the 38 grams salt. Move the figs around to distribute the salt in the water.
- Let the figs soak for a minimum of 9 hours or overnight.
- After the soaking time has elapsed you will notice that some of the figs may have a sticky oily residue. Brush this off with a new soft scouring sponge.
- Rinse the figs and place into a deep pot with at least 4 liters capacity.
- Add the 5 ml bicarbonate of soda and 28.5 grams salt and mix into the water to distribute it evenly.
- Bring the pot to the boil on medium high and boil for 30 minutes or until soft. Skim off any scum that rises to the surface.
- When the figs are soft, pour off the water and put the figs back into a clean pot.
- Add the sugar and 200 ml of the water to the figs and return to the heat on the lowest setting.
- Stir occasionally and wipe down the sides with a clean spatula or silicone brush to ensure that the sugar does not crystallize on the sides of the pot.
- The sugar will dissolve slowly and it requires a stir every 15 minutes to ensure even cooking.
- After the first hour you may add 100 ml of water, pouring it down the sides of the pot.
- Continue stirring every 20 minutes without breaking the figs.
- After the second hour you can add the other 100 ml water and the lemon juice.
- By now you will see that the figs are becoming darker and more translucent and the syrup will start to thicken.
- After the third hour add the last 100 ml of water and cook for a further 15 minutes or until the figs are completely translucent.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes before decanting into sterilized preserving jars.
As an Amazon Associate, we earn commission from qualifying purchases, which means we can keep sharing recipes and tips you’ll love. Thanks so much for your support! Preserved Green Figs in syrup or Boom Vye Konfyt (literal translation is Tree Fig Preserves) is a delicious Cape Malay sweetmeat for festive occasions.
It is often served as part of a High Tea reception at weddings, and in recent years at Eid and occasionally Sunday afternoon tea. The whole preserved green figs in syrup and other fruit preserves are usually served in slices or chunks in a footed bowl or decorative plate.
Cocktail sticks are served on the side to enable guests to eat the preserves without getting sticky syrup on their hands and clothes. Konfyt are chunks of whole fresh or dried fruits that are soaked overnight in salted or lime water to make it crisp and remove excess liquid, then slow cooked in sugar syrup.
My first memory of seeing an array of konfyt was at a cousin’s wedding when I was about 5 or 6 years old. My aunt Fatima had made Dried Apricot spoon sweets (Appelkoos konfyt), Syrupy Dried Sour Figs Konfyt recipe (Suurvye konfyt) and Preserved Watermelon (Waatlemoen konfyt) for the wedding. She proudly showed me the fruit of her labors in row upon row of small glass bowls and I was too happy to try them all.
A few years later I discovered Green figs in syrup (Vye konfyt) and was smitten. For years I took back a few jars of store bought Preserved Green Figs in syrup back to Dubai with me as it was not available there.
The fig preserves are sweet and a great accompaniment to cheeses like brie, buratta or mozzarella and slices of toasted sour dough bread. My favorite way to eat these preserved green figs is on freshly baked buttered bread or with blue cheese and crackers.
This recipe takes some time to make at home, but unless it is an emergency I will never buy it from the store again.
- Green Fig Preserves are first and foremost served with afternoon tea as a spoon sweet in Cape Malay homes or at wedding feasts.
- They are also excellent as part of a cheese board with a variety of cheeses, crackers or bread and fresh cherries or grapes. I like a piquant Gorgonzola or Roquefort or a spice infused goat or cream cheese log.
- The Green Fig Preserves are a sweet delight served sliced over greek yogurt with a sprinkling of this Easy Homemade Granola or this Toasted Luxury Berry Nut Muesli.
- The Green Fig Preserves also make a great substitute for roasted figs in this Caramelised Onion, Fig and Brie tart when fresh figs are not in season.
- For Preserved Green Figs in syrup, the best figs are the first crop in Spring (October in the Southern Hemisphere). However, it is a myth that later crops will turn out bitter and inedible. As long as the figs are hard, green and unripe they can be used for konfyt as I have used first crop figs in the past and December crop figs recently.
- The figs are soaked overnight in salt and this seems to loosen the waxy residue sometimes found on the fruit when the tree sap has leaked. To remove that smelly stubborn residue rub your utensils with some olive oil. It will dissolve the residue and you will be able to wash it off with hot soapy water.
- The lengthy soaking make the figs moist and is essential to prevent them turning out like old shoe leather.
- The fruit is first boiled in a mixture of salt and bicarbonate of soda, before the second slow cooking in sugar syrup over a low heat for a few hours until it is translucent and tender without breaking apart.
- If the syrup crystallizes while it’s cooking it will render hard inedible figs that you may even be unable to remove from the sugar crystals.
- Cape Malay Stewed Dried Apricot and Peach compote
- Roasted figs with honey and orange
- Syrupy Dried Sour Figs Konfyt recipe (Suurvye konfyt)
- 3 cloves
- 2 cm of root ginger sliced into rounds
- 2 sticks cinnamon
Disclaimer: Nutritional information for the recipe is an approximation and varies according to the ingredients and products used. If you liked the recipe above please consider leaving a comment below.
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