Everybody looks forward to June as it is when we realise summer is truly here. But for fellow fruit lovers, we look forward to June because it is the time of our delicious fig season.

There are two seasons for figs. One in June and a second harvest in August. The June fig harvest normally always coincides with the feast of St. John the Baptist in Xewkija. Hence why in Gozo fellow locals refer to the figs as ‘Bajtar ta’ San Gwann‘ (Fig of St John).

Tin taċ-Ċappa is pressed dried figs with added anisette liquer, bay leaves, almonds, and sometimes with raisens and fennel seeds. The figs used are from the second season the one in August when the temperature and weather is ideal for drying this fruit as the weather is very dry. The fig takes about 4 to 5 days to dry.  The fig is cut in half and placed on a sunny roof or terrace to dry until leathery in appearance. The dried figs are places in a greeseproof paper with added almonds, fennel seeds and sprinkled with anisette liquer and topped off with bayleaves.

Traditionally, householders proudly opened a heavy wooden box of delicious sun-dried figs and eaten on the feast of St Martin when it is cut into thin slices. The figs was conserved very dearly in a dry room, as it was the only desert they consumed during the winter.