Why “Barbary fig”? The story of a name

Indian fig, Christians' fig, Barbary fig: one fruit, many names. What do they tell us?

A coast, not a flaw

Historically, “Barbary” refers to the North African coast, from an Arabic word for the Berbers. It is an old geographical name, not a judgement on the fruit.

Indian fig, Christians' fig

The plant is also called “Indian fig”, and its botanical name, Opuntia ficus-indica, literally means “fig of the Indies” in Latin.

In parts of the Maghreb it is called “karmouss nssara”, the Christians' fig.

An origin still debated

“Barbary” may recall the region where the fruit settled, but specialists do not all agree on the exact origin of the name.

One fruit, many names

In French it is figue de Barbarie, in Spanish higo chumbo or tuna, in Italian fico d'India, in Portuguese figo-da-índia, in German Kaktusfeige, in Dutch cactusvijg. The same fruit, different stories.

Sources: Etymonline (“Barbary”), La langue française dictionary (“figue de Barbarie”, “figuier”).