Figs on a roll

Abstract

Their leaves clothed Adam and Eve; their roots were used by the Maasai people's god to shuttle the first cattle from heaven to Earth; and according to an Indonesian story, two gods carved the first couple from their wood. The presence of fig trees in numerous origin myths is down to more than coincidence. They have shaped the world since long before the dawn of humanity, and have fed people and their imaginations for millennia. Now, as the world warms and forests fall, these extraordinary trees could help to restore life to deforested landscapes. Here, Shanahan finds a festive fruit that is still shaping the world.