Olive Oil
Capers have been eaten for thousands of years. The plant is best known for the edible flower buds (capers) and used as a seasoning, and the fruit (caper berries) both of which are consumed pickled. Capers are dark green buds that are sun-dried and packed in vinegar brine. They are the unopened green flower buds of the Capparis spinosa. There is manual labor in picking the capers; they are picked each morning just as they reach the perfect size. Capers range in size with the smallest; like a peppercorn, and being from France are considered the finest as where the larger ones are from Italy and range in size to the tip of your little finger. The name caper is derived from the Greek word for “he-goat”
In Biblical times, the caper berry was apparently supposed to have aphrodisiac properties.
Background: The caper bush grows wild throughout the Mediterranean Basin, East Africa, Italy, and Madagascar to the Pacific Islands. It can often be found in craggy rock, cracks of old stone walls and ruins of buildings. It is a shrubby plant with many branches and has thick and shiny oval to round shape leaves. The flowers are sweet and fragrant and have four sepals and four white to pinkish petals. The caper bush requires a semiarid or arid climate.
The Plant: It is a small bush with tough oval leaves and have an attractive four-petaled white to pinkish flowers that produces a spray of purple stamens. The flowers of the caper bush are truly short lived flowers, those that bloom in the morning are finished by the afternoon, hence the intensive labor involved in gathering the tiny little buds. Capers are either salted or preserved in brine, and are the small unopened flower buds. If the flowers are left to mature they form oval fruits like rose hips and are referred to as caper berries. Fresh caper buds are unpleasant bearing a very bitter flavor; however when pickled they develop a distinctive acidic, sweaty, salty lingering metallic flavor that is surprisingly appealing and refreshing.
Processing: It is crucial that caper buds be harvested in the early morning, before they can open with the rising sun, they are then put aside in the shade to wilt. Buds that are just the right size large, overly mature ones will result in a sour, astringent flavor; are the ones gathered in the early morning. They are then placed in barrels of heavily salted wine vinegar and left to pickle. During this process the capric acid develops; it is the subtle hint of capric acid that gives pickled capers their characteristic flavor. Caper berries are also pickled, especially in Cyprus, where capers grow in abundance.
Buying & Storage: The best pickled capers are known to be those produced in France. The smallest – around 1/8 inch in diameter – is the most delicate and is called nonpareils. These are followed in size by four grades: surfine, fine, mi-fine and capucines, which may be as large, as 1/2-inch. Capers preserved in salted wine vinegar should always be stored in the refrigerator after opening, covered with their pickling liquid. Once the capers are exposed to air, the flavor quickly deteriorates.
Use: Capers that are in vinegar are usually rinsed before using. Capers are an essential ingredient in tartar sauce. They also complement tomatoes, enhance salads. The brackish, tangy flavor of capers enhances the appetite and is excellent for strong-flavored or oily fish. Capers are a distinctive ingredient in Italian cuisine, especially in southern Italian cooking. They are commonly used in salads, pasta salads, and meat dishes.
Culinary Information:
Combines With: * anise seed * basil * bay leaf * chervil * dill * fennel * garlic * parsley * tarragon *
Traditional Uses: * puttanesca sauce * strong flavored and oily fish * tartar sauce * Liptauer cheese * tomatoes (fresh & cooked)
Family: Capparidaceae
Other Names: * caper berry * caper bud * caper bush *
Flavor Group: * Tangy *
Parts Used: buds and berries (as a spice)