The Funny Little Fig Bars of NYC
Posted by Eileen Glanton Loftus on April 20, 2011 in Adventures, Featured, Photos, Reviews
Tags: carson city, deli, fig bars, new life bakery, New York City, NYC
This post is by Eat With Me contributor Eileen!
I moved out of New York City seven years ago, and I still can’t get it out of my system. I miss the constant thrum of energy, the fashion, the parks, the subway, and naturally, I miss the food.
My time in New York introduced me to Thai and Afghan cuisine and made me a devotee of sushi and Cuban sandwiches. These I miss. But there’s a humble little treat that inspires my deepest reveries of New York food: the fig bar.
Stop by any corner deli in Manhattan, and right by the cash register, chances are that you’ll find packages of fig bars. These are no mere Newtons; the fig bars of New York City are dense, dark, whole-wheat cookies that can power you through a run or fill in for a meal. Shrink-wrapped as tight as a drum, they stay fresh for several days. Freshness is essential; the crust should yield to a gentle poke and the filling should melt in your mouth, more like pudding than dried fruit. Sadly, once the fig bars have passed their prime, they’re just a step above sawdust.
One of the lingering charms of New York, in my mind, is the short list of things that are cheaper there than anywhere else: manicures, avocados (buy them off a fruit truck), and really good bagels. When I lived there, the fig bars came four to a pack, and cost $1. Last month, while visiting a friend, I paid $1.25 for a packet of three. No harm. They were as filling, wholesome and delicious as I remembered. I bought a couple of extra packs to throw in the freezer, and I’m hoping they’ll tide me over until my next visit.
I ate these cookies for years, and never knew where they came from or what, precisely, made them so addictive. When I sat down to write about them, I imagined the source was a tiny bakery, perhaps in Queens or Brooklyn.
With a quick trip to Google, I came upon a New York Times article from 1999 that disclosed the source: NewLife Bakery in Carson City, Nevada. The same article disclosed the ingredients: wheat, flour, figs, sugar, corn syrup, vegetable shortening, water, dextrose, honey, molasses and salt. I know it’s all the rage today to know where your food comes from, but I think I was happier with my fig bars when I didn’t know. I realize now that part of the appeal was my belief that they were available only in New York! For only a dollar!
When it comes to food, I suppose, sometimes the magic is the mystery.
