Capers

A flower bud, never opened

Capers are the unopened flower buds of Capparis spinosa, a thorny perennial shrub native to Mediterranean and Western Asian rocky terrain. The buds are picked early in the morning, before they can open into white-pink flowers, and immediately preserved in either salt or vinegar brine — fresh capers are inedibly bitter; the curing transforms them.

If allowed to flower and fruit, the same plant produces caperberries — larger pickled fruits the size of olives, sometimes served as a tapas bar accompaniment.

Two cures, two different products

• Salt-cured capers — packed in coarse sea salt, develop a more complex, less acidic flavor. Sicilian capperi sotto sale are the most prized. Rinse before use.
• Brine-cured capers — packed in vinegar brine, sharper and more acidic. The standard supermarket form.

The salt-cured version is generally considered superior for cooking; the brine-cured is fine for salads and dressings.

Where they go

• Pasta puttanesca — capers, anchovies, olives, tomato.
• Vitello tonnato — Italian veal with tuna sauce.
• Lox bagel — capers are a near-universal addition.
• Chicken piccata — chicken in lemon-butter-caper sauce.
• Tartare sauce and remoulade — base of fish-accompaniment sauces.
• Tapenade — Provençal olive paste.

A small caper goes a long way; their sodium content is high, so taste before adding salt to caper-containing dishes.