Fig roll
A pastry filled with fig paste, ancient in origin.
The fig roll, sometimes called a fig bar, is a type of cookie or biscuit made from a rolled pastry or cake that is stuffed with fig paste. Figs have been eaten for a very long time, with their origins in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor. It is possible that early Egyptians created the first version of this treat—a basic pastry combining fig paste with a flour-based dough. During the Middle Ages, the Arab physician Ibn Butlan wrote about recommending figs eaten with biscuits or sugared bread, which is an early example of something similar to a fig roll. In the late 1800s, fig rolls became popular among British immigrants living in the United States.
One well-known mass-produced cookie that resembles a fig roll is the Fig Newton. In 1892, a Florida engineer and inventor named James Henry Mitchell patented a machine that could make a hollow tube of cookie dough while simultaneously filling it with jam. This device used two funnels, one inside the other: the outer funnel formed the dough tube, and the inner one filled it with fig jam. Around the same time, a Philadelphia baker and fig enthusiast named Charles Roser was working on a recipe for a pastry based on the British homemade fig roll. Roser took his idea to the Kennedy Biscuit Company in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts, which agreed to produce and sell it. The Kennedy Biscuit Company had recently joined with the New York Biscuit Company, and after the merger created Nabisco, the product was trademarked as the Fig Newton. It was named after the town of Newton, Massachusetts, and was among the first commercially produced baked goods in the United States.
Valeo Foods makes two similar snacks: "Jacob's Fig rolls," sold only in Ireland, and "Bolands Fig rolls," named after Boland's Bakery, which are also available in the United Kingdom. Jacob's Fig rolls are produced by the Jacob Fruitfield Food Group and are the most popular biscuit brand in Ireland, with 8.3 million packets sold each year.
- origin
- Mediterranean and Asia Minor
- earliest_possible_inventor
- Early Egyptians
- medieval_recommendation
- Ibn Butlan
- popularized_in_US_by
- British immigrants in the late 19th century
- notable_commercial_variants
- Fig Newtons, Jacob's Fig rolls, Bolands Fig rolls
Lore & Background
Figs have been a popular food since ancient times, originating in the areas of the Mediterranean and Asia Minor. Early Egyptians may have invented the first fig roll—a simple pastry made with fig paste and a flour-based dough. In the Middle Ages, the Arab physician Ibn Butlan is recorded to have recommended eating figs with biscuits, or sugared bread—an early instance of what could be considered a fig roll. Fig rolls were popular with British immigrants in the United States in the late 19th century.
Commercially, Fig Newtons are a popular mass-produced cookie similar to a fig roll. In 1892 James Henry Mitchell, a Florida engineer and inventor, received a patent for a machine that could produce a hollow tube of cookie dough and simultaneously fill it with jam. At the same time, Philadelphia baker and fig lover Charles Roser was developing a recipe for a pastry based on the British homemade fig roll. Roser approached the Kennedy Biscuit Company, who agreed to take on production and sales. After merger to form Nabisco, the product was trademarked as the Fig Newton, named after the Massachusetts town of Newton. It was one of the first commercially-produced baked goods in the United States.
Valeo Foods produces two snack foods similar to traditional fig rolls: Jacob's Fig rolls, sold only in Ireland, and Bolands Fig rolls, also sold in the United Kingdom. Jacob's Fig rolls are produced by the Jacob Fruitfield Food Group and are the most popular brand of biscuit in Ireland, with sales of 8.3 million packets each year.
Reader's Guide
The fig roll holds significance as one of the earliest known filled pastries, with possible origins in ancient Egypt. Its enduring appeal is evidenced by its presence across millennia, from a medieval physician's recommendation to modern mass production. The development of the Fig Newton in the late 19th century marked a milestone in commercial baking: James Henry Mitchell's patent for a machine that simultaneously extruded a dough tube and filled it with jam enabled consistent, large-scale production. This innovation, combined with Charles Roser's recipe and the marketing power of the Kennedy Biscuit Company (later Nabisco), made the Fig Newton one of the first commercially-produced baked goods in the United States. The fig roll's legacy continues in regional favorites like Jacob's Fig rolls, which dominate the Irish biscuit market with 8.3 million packets sold annually. The product's simple, ancient concept—fig paste encased in dough—has proven remarkably adaptable to industrial methods while retaining its traditional character.
Did You Know?
- Early Egyptians may have invented the first fig roll.
- In the Middle Ages, the Arab physician Ibn Butlan recommended eating figs with biscuits or sugared bread.
- Fig Newtons were named after the Massachusetts town of Newton.
- Jacob's Fig rolls are the most popular brand of biscuit in Ireland, with sales of 8.3 million packets each year.
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