The smell of jaggery

 As kids, we learnt of medi pandu or cluster fig as an inedible fruit. I dont like the Newton fig bars. I read about figs last year around this time, when they were in season. I got to have fresh Black mission figs from my friends backyard. We decided on the kind using a 'Trees of North America' book. I hadnt seen a fresh fig until then and never wondered why they were always available dried.  I bought dried Calymyrna figs a while ago, but didnt get to eating them. The main reason was that they still retained their whole tiny pear form and light jaggery colour. I am used to seeing figs in their pressed to a circle and dark brown form for ultra packaging reasons. On a trip, I had the figs. But when I bit into the Calymyrna figs - the peel wasnt too dry or scaly like that of a date, it was still soft to the chew and the inside with the tiny brown-yellow seeds tasted like jam.