Capers are really the pickled unopened flower buds from a Mediterranean shrub. They have an acid taste, not unlike that of goat's cheese. Capers are used particularly in Mediterranean cuisines in sauces, salads, pizza, and fish.
Facts
Capers are the flower buds of a perennial bush native to the Mediterranean region. The shrub reaches up to 3-6 ft (1-2 m) and caper bushes grow wild, in profusion, through the rocky grounds, walls, and ruins in hot Mediterranean countries. The stems carry thick glossy leaves, prickly in the wild variety; flowers in stalks are followed by pear shaped fruits.
The small caper buds are picked, dried, and then pickled in wine vinegar brine. Their white flowers, not dissimilar to wild roses, have the shortest lifespan, as they open in the morning and are dead by noon.
Capers must be picked by hand, as the buds have to be picked every morning, just as they reach the proper size. The larger, coarser buds are also harvested; those are the ones that can be seen packed in salt where capers are abundant. They can taste good, but are often of an inferior quality and can turn rancid quickly. Capers have been an important flavoring in the Mediterranean region since ancient times.
How to identify capers
Capers range in size from the minute nonpareil (1/8 inch - 3 mm) from southern France, considered the finest, to those called capotes (5/8 inch–15 mm), with the Italian capers, which can be as big as the tip of your little finger, in between. Capers are generally available pickled in brine, in a bottle or jar, but can also be salted and sold loose, in bulk; these should be rinsed before use to remove the excess salt. Gourmet tasters think it is worth looking for the nonpareilles because their flavor is much finer.
The Spanish imported stemmed caperberries are about the size of a cocktail olive. Caperberries are the fruit of the caper bush and have a similar tangy flavor but with a milder taste compared to capers.
While capers are small and round, caperberries are larger and oval-shaped, often with a small stem attached. This makes them easy to identify when compared to the smaller capers.
Cooking with capers
Both tartar sauce and mock tartar sauce has a mayonnaise base and there are detailed instructions about how to prepare them together with the recipe for mayonnaise.
Caperberries are often used as a garnish or in salads, providing a crunchy texture and a burst of flavor. They can be served alongside olives and cheese on antipasto platters or used to enhance the flavor of Mediterranean dishes.
If you don't have it, substitute 1 Tbs capers with:
- 1 Tbs green olives, chopped for a salad, whole to garnish a Martini or a cocktail
- 1 Tbs caper berries - the larger Spanish capers - as a garnish
- 1 Tbs chopped pickled cucumbers for a mock tartar sauce
- 1 Tbs chopped pickles as garnish, for a mock tartar sauce, or for cooking.
Use them in the conventional way first: serve smoked salmon or trout with some drops of lemon juice and a few scattered capers as a garnish; you can also add some chopped hard-boiled egg. Use any combination of these ingredients for appetizers or as sandwich filling, with some Romaine lettuce and fine slices of onion.
