The fig (Ficus carica L; family Moracea) originated in the Old World Tropics—Asia Minor and the Mediterranean region (Figure 1). In the Mediterranean, the fig has been cultivated since as early as 5,000 BCE.
The fig tree was first introduced to the Americas in 1575 by Spanish explorers in Florida. On the West Coast, in the area that eventually became the state of California, Spanish Franciscan missionaries introduced the cultivar ‘Mission’ to the area that in 1769 became the mission San Diego. Additional fig cultivars were also imported to the California area from Mediterranean countries, including Turkey.