Is anjeer a ‘non-vegetarian’ fruit? Here’s the truth behind viral debate on eating figs

Anjeer or figs are going viral on social media as many have claimed that the fruit should not be considered fit for vegans as it grows in a “non-vegetarian” way. Figs are popular in Western Asia and India where they eaten in their dried form. They are thought to be fruits but are actually inverted flowers, with their blossoms hidden inside their pods.

Most plant-based foods are vegan-friendly, but figs contain a unique enzyme produced by fig wasps, leading to them being labelled as non-vegetarian. The online debate around them originated due to the way that figs are pollinated.

What makes figs non-vegetarian?

It all started when Indian actress Shenaz Treasurywala shared a video saying that figs or anjeer are non-vegetarian. She explained in her clips that when the fig plant is being pollinated, a female wasp enters a fig through a tiny opening, losing her wings in the process. As she is unable to get out, she lays her eggs inside the flower and dies. When the eggs hatch, the male wasps mate with female wasps. While the female escapes, the male dies inside.

Take a look at the video here:

“For every fig consumed, it’s likely that a bee died for it to come to fruition, a fact that some vegetarians are uncomfortable with,” she said in the video.

Many think this process means every fig contains dead wasps. That’s not true as the fruit’s enzymes break down the wasps’ body to turn it into nutrition. However, some in the vegan community have called the process “non-vegetarian”.

(Also read: 7 health benefits of figs)

Also, not all figs depend on this natural pollination method with wasps. Many farmers have achieved pollination of figs by applying plant hormones to the figs directly. This approach can be considered more a vegan-friendly alternative. However, many from the Jain community still avoid figs because while not all figs are a product of wasp pollination, it can be hard to tell.