My collection amounts above 60 varieties out of which many are local heirlooms. between all the heirlooms as you guess the Sbayi is a favourite of mine but untill now i haven't been able to taste one grown in my own pots. the plant is very young-about 1 year old in a 10 gal pot but has grown much with alot of bought manure compost.
well this is my first one and my wife and i never tasted a store bought sbayi like this one.
probably cause it was warm and jammy it enhanced the flavors.

the fruit as in the pictures-
weight about 45 grams
eye is a bit open with some cracks on the flesh
taste wise- deep berry tone with the skin sharing some of the sweetness. what is nice is that it feels like more like a jam than fruit. the seeds are small. the taste deep berry "wine like" tone stays in the mouth for 10 minutes after eating.

Btw the fruit looks juicy like it has been caprified but i can assure it was in organza since birth

Enjoy all

Looks and sounds great, Eli!  Very nice work!

Sounds like an outstanding fig! Wish I could find some cuttings of that one this fall.

Thanks for sharing your photos and thoughts about your Sbayi Eli. Could you also add a photo of the leaf? This is a fig I look forward to trying after hearing a few very positive reviews.

Mike in Hanover, VA

Thanks all
I wish i could send some to the us but some mebers there already have it probably.
Btw The local fig expert Danny Yakir mentions in his book that if only one fig tree can be planted the sbayi is the worth considering!
Mike hi the leafs are 5 deep fissured lobes with charactaristic pink leaf stalk.

Thanks all
I wish i could send some to the us but some mebers there already have it probably.
Mike hi the leafs are 5 deep fissured lobes with charactaristic pink leaf stalk.
In zone 7 i think it would do fine a sit is considered a relatively early ripening fruit .
I belive with the oiling technique even colder regions can grown this.

Eli,

I was looking for information about this fig that a friend send me and i found this thread.

My fig tree is only a few months but its growing well. The leafs appear slightly different from your photo, but possibly that's because the tree was in the shade until recently - some of the leafs are huge, compared to other trees that are in full sun.


 
 


Do you think its Sbayi?

Eli,

I've just found another thread you started, mentioning the pink patches that allow the identification of Sbayi:
http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/pink-patches-on-sbayi-7386898?highlight=sbayi&pid=1287012343

I went through some recent photos and guess what - there they are, the pink patches. I am thrilled to confirm this variety.

 

 

Thank you very much for this precious information,

Looks good

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm yum!

Eli,

That's a nice , delicious fig !  a must have.
The nodal pink patches are they exclusive to this variety ?

Jaime, I know exactly what you feel.. realizing that young fig of yours shows the unmistakable  marks and a nice robust and healthy young plant. Congrats


Francisco
Portugal

Thanks, Francisco.

I know that these pink marks may not be exclusive to this variety, but the good signs are piling up :-)

Js Hi.
I can confirm its a sbayi.

Even Deny Yakir the Israel fig expert wrote in literature that it provides a sure marker for the sbayi variety.

Also notice the pink leaf stems - not so specific as the patches but still is particular.

Congrats and get ready for some alcoholic taste and aromas mixed with berry with this one.

lovely eli.
did you ever grow khurtmani or red israel as its known also. If so, how would you compare sbayi to khurtmani (red israel) since it is widely recognized as a more favored fig in Israel, where sbayi comes in second?

Thanks, Eli.

I'm thrilled and can't wait for next year to be able to taste these figs. Your description of the flavour has made my mouth water.

I took some more detailed pictures of the markings. They sure are quite beautiful and peculiar, up close. The pink leaf stems are a bit more subtle.

 
    

I have the same question as akrouus. How does it compare to khurtmani?

Thanks again.

Js thanks for the pictures,
I wonder how out of all the varieties in my place and in the forum no other fig shows these patches. sbayi is the queen? :)

Nick Hi , i see we grow similar varieties :)

to the question- They are different: From my view the khurtmani is a very good honey fig, that is why its also called Asali(honey) , brix levels Re high but less complexity. The sbayi is a whole other story - deep berry wine like complexity where the sugar part is not the most noticable. Also the sbayi is bigger fig. Again for cooler areas i believe sbayi will be great since it ripens early , dont know cold tollerance though.

thank you for the thoughts and perspective Eli. Indeed, we have a lot in common in terms of desires. Are you in the mid east?
Also, my two sbayi trees do not (currently) have any signs of pink on the stems or leaves. they are about 1 year old trees. is there supposed to be pink continuously throughout growth cycle  or only at certain times during growth (i.e, spring, etc)?

The pink patches dissapear as tree continues to grow and the green growth is hardened. If i remember they showed up on spring.
Could be you didnt notice cause the tree is still small.

akrouus,

This is a photo of the tree in the 16th of August. No sign of the pink patches. I don't think they where there also in the early development stages of the tree, but i wasn't paying attention.



In 2nd of September i uppotted the tree to a 50 liters container (no pink in sight):

 

In the new growth in the last month the pink patches are quite noticeable.
Photo 26th of September:
 

Thanks for the info on khurtmani, Eli.

JS Is the one behind Sbayi is your Khurtmani/Asali?

mine shows same fmv /deformed leafs.

No, Eli. I don't have that variety (looks interesting though).

The one with the deformed leaves and the fmv behind the Sbayi is a Sarilop/Calimyrna.

 

Its has on the left a Bardacick and on the right a Patlican with developing figs. It came labeled has a White Patlican, but i seem to have read somewhere that the Patlican is not a white fig - got to investigate further) 

thank you guys. the sbayi has an amazing smell when i walk by it sometimes. it reminds me of the mid east when i visit. i can't wait and have a feeling it will be my favorite.