[Capparis spinosa of family Capparaceae]
Capers
[Capparis spinosa of family Capparaceae]
Related to mustards at the order level (Brassicales), the
caper bush grows semi-wild all around the Mediterranean (though it
skips a few regions in North Africa). Flower buds are salted and
pickled for use as a tart ingredient in many recipes from the region.
Berries are also used pickled and are well thought of, but not much
available in North America. Leaves are used pickled or cooked in
salads in the region but are not available here. Epicures consider
salted capers superior to pickled, but those too are not much
available in North America.
Photo by Lorsh contributed to the public domain.
More on Mustard, Cabbage and Turnip Flowers
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Epicures prefer salted capers to the pickled ones, but I've never seen those in Southern California - of course I don't hang out in gourmet shops in Beverly Hills or the West Side, so maybe some can be had around there. Using: If you have somehow acquired the salted kind, they
must be given a lengthy soaking before using to reduce the saltiness. Pickled
ones are often rinsed or given a short soak - so if a recipe asks for a long
soak they're probably presuming salted capers.
While highly thought of and pickled in the same manner as the flower buds,
caper berries are little known in North America. They are particularly
used in Greece as a mezze (appetizer).
Photo by Xufank distributed under license Creative Commons
Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported.
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Buying: Capers are sold graded by size, with the smallest
ones preferred. Official size designations are: Non-pareil (up to 7 mm /
0.27 inch), surfines (7 to 8 mm / 0.31 inch ), capucines (8 to 9 mm /
0.35 inch), capotes (9 to 11 mm / 0.4 inch), fines (11 to 13 mm / 0.51 ),
and grusas (14 mm / 0.55 inch or greater). Nasturtium buds can be
substituted for capers, but they are on the large side. The photo shows
pickled buds labeled "Capotes". The white spots are rutin and are
harmless.
Caper Berries