Exotic capers - what they are, how to eat them and what to replace them with. Capers - what are they and where are they added, interesting recipes Quick Olivier salad with capers

20.04.2021

Those who are far from Eastern or Mediterranean cuisine may not know what capers are and what they look like. However, today the mysterious product is freely sold in supermarkets and getting to know it better is not difficult.

In cooking, caper buds are better known, which are consumed exclusively in salted or pickled form. They are sold in glass jars and have such a distinctive appearance that it is impossible to confuse them.

Berries are eaten much less frequently and not only processed, but also fresh.

How capers grow. Botanical certificate

The creeping caper shrub (Capparis spinosa) with beautiful, large white-pink flowers is grown not only for its fruit, but also as an ornamental plant in demand in landscape design.

The Mediterranean is considered the homeland of this exotic representative of the subtropical flora., although it is also common in Asia, Crimea and the Caucasus. Almost all parts of the plant: roots, berries, buds, young shoots, flowers and seeds are used in folk medicine.

It is believed that the name of the shrub comes from the island of Cyprus. Capersnik is unpretentious - it can easily withstand the scorching southern sun and is not “afraid” of rocky soil. At the same time, the plant blooms profusely throughout the summer and is considered an excellent honey plant.

About the benefits and taste qualities capers were known back in the 3rd millennium BC. e. This unique spice is mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamesh, which is considered one of the most ancient literary monuments of our civilization.

In addition to wild capers, There are also varietal crops with improved nutritional properties. Industrial production of exquisite spices is carried out in North Africa, Spain, Italy and France. The most delicious buds come to us from the island of Thira in the Aegean Sea, where the soil is abundantly fertilized with volcanic ash.

To this day, the buds and fruits of capers are collected by hand, in dry, clear weather. The buds are sorted by size using a sieve: specimens that do not reach 1 cm in diameter, with a dense structure, have the most delicate and delicate taste. And they are appreciated by gourmets accordingly.

The berries are oblong pods with a reddish softness, reminiscent of watermelon in their sweetness. They are eaten raw or made into jam. But fruits are pickled extremely rarely, since their taste becomes too rich and not everyone likes it.

What are capers in cooking?

For cooking, they use, first of all, unripe buds. They are called capers in culinary recipes.

Fresh buds have a pronounced bitter taste and are not suitable for food. Therefore, immediately after collection, they are dried in the open air, and then kept for at least 3 months in a saline solution with the addition of either vinegar or olive oil. Sometimes capers are placed in glass containers and simply sprinkled with salt. With this method of preservation, the product can be stored for several years.

The best variety of capers is “non pareil”, with a bud diameter of up to 7 mm. The largest specimens, called “grusas”, reach 14 mm or more. They are slightly tart, with a bright spicy aroma, simultaneously reminiscent of gherkins, olives and mustard in a very complex but pleasant combination.

In our stores, the Mediterranean delicacy is sold marinated only in vinegar, without adding oil.

This worsens the taste of the spice, but increases its shelf life significantly. The situation can be improved by adding capers homemade marinade

prepared according to the recipe below.
Add oregano, thyme, oregano, basil and rosemary to olive oil and heat the mixture in a water bath so that the herbs “give off” their aroma.
Remove the caper buds from the vinegar solution and rinse thoroughly.

Place the product back into the jar and fill it with warm flavored oil. When the marinade has completely cooled, the preservation is placed in the refrigerator for 2–3 days, after which culinary masterpieces are created with its help.

The fruits are also pickled. They can also be found on sale, but much less often.

The fruits are used to decorate meat and fish dishes, and added to solyanka. You can effectively serve tongue with boiled potatoes as an appetizer, garnished with capers. And a simple dish will immediately be transformed:

Benefits and contraindications

Initially, various parts of the caperberry, including flower buds, were used as medicine.

Official medicine recognizes that the plant effectively fights cancer and cardiovascular diseases, normalizes the activity of the thyroid gland, eliminates inflammatory processes, including chronic ones, and reduces pain.

Caperberry buds contain almost all vitamins and microelements. They are especially rich in rutin, which makes blood vessels more elastic, prevents the formation of blood clots, improves vision, stabilizes heart pressure, and also improves immunity.
Capers are also a powerful antioxidant that, when consumed regularly, can prolong our youth and preserve our beauty. Nutritionists recommend consuming the product with meat to neutralize the oxidative processes caused by protein foods.
The flavonol quercetin, which is also found in buds, according to scientists, is able to resist the formation of malignant tumors at the genetic level. It has already been called an “anti-cancer bomb”, which helps primarily with problems with the reproductive organs in men and women. In addition, the substance reduces the risk of allergic reactions and has a beneficial effect on the respiratory system and intestines.
If you have a poor appetite, you should add a little capers to your dishes - and food will again be a pleasure. The healing seasoning will help improve digestion and cleanse the body of toxins.
By regularly consuming caperberry buds, you can lower your blood sugar levels, so the product is also useful for diabetics.
Strong bones, luxurious hair and fresh, clear skin are all guaranteed to caper fans. Dermatological diseases will become a thing of the past if you include a Mediterranean delicacy in your menu.

In addition to useful substances, the buds contain large amounts of sodium, an excess of which can cause disruption of the heart, severe swelling and nervous disorders. To avoid negative consequences, pickled or salted capers are soaked in water and only then added to dishes.

The product is not recommended for pregnant and lactating women.

What do you eat capers with?

Since the seasoning, popular in the Mediterranean, is little known in our country, housewives are at a loss, not knowing which dishes to add and how exactly to add it.

With culinary experiments in in this case It’s better to wait, but there are foods that are guaranteed to go well with piquant capers. This:

Any meat (chicken, beef, veal, lamb, pork) in a variety of preparations: fried, stewed or boiled.
Seafood
Vegetable salads
Multi-ingredient sauces, including mayonnaise, tartar and bechamel.
Brine cheeses
Spicy herbs: parsley, dill, tarragon, celery
Pasta
Oil: olive or butter

When choosing dishes with capers for your menu, do not try to come up with something exotic. The most common soups, stews and salads will “sound” differently if you add just a little of this product to them.

Note that fragrant buds are an essential component of classic Olivier and Solyanka. For example, this is what fish solyanka with capers looks like:

The exquisite spice is not necessarily added in its entirety - it is often crushed or even ground to a pasty state. This way, the seasoning can be evenly distributed among the other ingredients and will highlight, rather than overwhelm, their natural flavor.

Here are some typical interesting recipes.

Hodgepodge

This thick, mouth-watering soup is valued by gourmets for its unusual, rich taste and ease of preparation. The secret of solyanka is in the right combination of meat products, a rich, concentrated broth and special “zest” that gives it its own unique aroma. Among these “secret” ingredients are capers.

So, let's write down the recipe.

We will need:

300 g meat (pork, beef or chicken to choose from)
700 g of a mixture of hunting sausages and delicacy smoked meats
150 g pickles (preferably in barrel)
100 g brine
2 medium sized onions
handful of capers
50 g olives
1 tbsp. l. vegetable oil
50 g tomato paste

for submission:

green onions
1 lemon

Preparation

Boil the meat until done. You need to put it in cold water to make the broth rich.
Cut the cooled meat into thin strips.
We do the same with smoked meats and sausages. Then lightly fry the slices.
In a heated frying pan, brown the chopped onion, add the chopped cucumbers and simmer everything together for about 5 minutes.
Pour the tomato into the vegetables and simmer for another 10 minutes. The result is a dressing that should be added to the meat broth and stirred thoroughly.
The base for the hodgepodge is ready. To it we add smoked meats, meat and cucumber pickle, bring to a boil and keep on fire for 5 minutes. Just before turning it off, add olives and finely chopped capers.
Solyanka is served in portioned plates with lemon slices and green onions. If desired, you can season the soup with sour cream and any herbs you like.

If you are planning to cook, check out ours.

Italian caponata

We are talking about vegetable stew, which is prepared in Sicily. It is served as a side dish for meat or as an independent snack, hot or cold. Like all Mediterranean dishes, caponata is very light, healthy and incredibly tasty.

We will need:

400 g canned tomatoes
700 g eggplant
olive or any vegetable oil odorless for frying vegetables
3 tbsp. l. red wine vinegar
3 – 4 cloves of garlic
bunch of fresh basil
1 onion
2 tbsp. l. capers
pine nuts for the top

Preparation

Fry finely chopped eggplants, onion half rings and pressed garlic in hot olive oil, stirring constantly, for about a quarter of an hour. The heat should be low so that the vegetables do not burn.
Remove the skin from the tomatoes, cut into cubes and add to the rest of the ingredients. Add the remaining brine, vinegar and capers there.
Simmer covered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. It is better to season with pepper and salt at the very end of cooking, then add chopped fresh basil. Mix everything and remove from heat.
Separately, lightly fry the nuts in a dry frying pan. They are sprinkled on the finished dish immediately before serving.

Salad with capers for a slim waist

A great dinner for those who are watching their figure and want to eat healthy. The combination of tuna and baked pepper can be considered classic, while the salad, like any dish where capers are added, has an exotic touch.

We will need:

8 large bell peppers
400 g tuna per own juice
1 small red onion
any lettuce leaves (arugula, iceberg, romaine, etc.)
olive oil
1 tbsp. l. lemon juice
1 clove of garlic
small bunch of chives and parsley
2 tbsp. l. capers
salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

Bake the peeled and halved peppers in an oven preheated to 200ºC for 10 minutes until the skins turn black. Place the hot vegetables in a bag, tie it and wait 15 minutes.
Next, remove the skin from the peppers, cut into large strips and place in a salad bowl.
Add onion chopped into thin rings. Let's make a dressing from garlic, lemon juice and oil, passed through a press, pour it over the vegetables.
Now it's tuna's turn. Cut it into small cubes and mix with the rest of the ingredients. Sprinkle with chives, parsley and chopped capers. Pepper and salt.
Place our dish on washed lettuce leaves and serve.

Watch a video on how to prepare a spicy caper sauce for serving:

How to replace capers in dishes

Caperberry buds are exotic for us, not always available due to high prices or other reasons.

If you want to add some spice to your dishes, you can find “native” products that taste similar. For example, in the same Olivier, capers have long been replaced with pickles.

In this case, it is more correct to take gherkins - small-fruited cucumbers, collected slightly unripe and pickled.

Olives are added to meat or fish dishes (their taste is more similar to capers than olives).

For salads, pickled nasturtium pods or pickles, a spicy mixture of small vegetables, are often used.

I would like to make special mention of the beautiful “fiery” flowers that can be found in almost every front garden or city flower beds.

Nasturtium comes from South America, where its buds and unripe fruits have been used as a seasoning for centuries. In our country, it is more of an ornamental plant than a spice intended for cooking.

However, pickled nasturtium fruits and buds are in no way inferior to capers in taste or beneficial properties, and will cost several times less. Shall we cook?

Nasturtium capers

We will need:

½ liter of water
1 tbsp. l. salt (without top)
1 tbsp. l. Sahara
2 – 3 tbsp. l. 9% vinegar
allspice peas
2 clove buds
Bay leaf

Preparation

Add salt, sugar, spices to the boiling water; you can additionally take the Herbes de Provence mixture. At the very end, add vinegar.
Place the nasturtium buds or pods in boiling water for 3–4 minutes, remove them and repeat the procedure again.
After this, pour the marinade over the product, which is filtered through a fine sieve for transparency. Jars of spice are sterilized and sealed, stored in a cellar or refrigerator.
Before use, the “capers” are washed and placed in olive oil for several days.

World-famous culinary specialists advise at least once to try real caper buds, in which healing properties They combine so amazingly with refined taste. This is in every sense a haute cuisine product, worth adding to the family menu. Why not discover something new, especially if it's truly useful?

If you find an error, please highlight a piece of text and click Ctrl+Enter.

By learning what capers are and using the product when preparing dishes, you can not only significantly diversify your home menu, but significantly improve its quality. Thanks to the addition of the component, the taste of many culinary compositions becomes simply masterpiece.

What are capers and what do they look like?

Understanding the subtleties of cooking, every housewife sooner or later comes across recipes where capers are one of the main or additional ingredients. Having an idea of what these capers are and what they look like, all that remains is to stock up on the component by buying it in a store or, if possible, pickling the product collected with your own hands.

Capers are nothing more than the unopened flower buds of the thorny caper bush, which grows and produces the richest harvest in the Mediterranean countries: Italy, Turkey, Greece, as well as in Asia, the Caucasus and Crimea.
In their raw form, such unopened buds are not suitable for food, so they are first pickled. During the salting process, capers fully reveal their qualities and get rid of the characteristic bitterness inherent in fresh fruits.
Having tried what capers taste like, their beneficial effect on the characteristics of dishes immediately becomes clear: piquant, slightly spicy, aromatic buds with a slightly tart, sour note maximally enrich the flavor palette of dishes.

What are the benefits of capers?

Capers, beneficial features which are impressive will not only improve the taste of culinary dishes, but will also become a valuable additive that will increase their nutritional characteristics a hundredfold.

Capers are rich in vitamins A, C, E, K, group B, and a number of minerals. They contain sufficient amounts of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, essential oils, glycosides and other important elements. At the same time, the calorie content of the product is only 23 kcal per 100 g.
The flavonol quercetin contained in capers improves skin condition, relieves inflammation, and helps with allergies. The same component prevents the formation of cancer cells in the body and maintains normal DNA structure.

Where are capers added?

By adding capers to familiar dishes, trivial recipes become refined and unusual, acquiring originality and originality. The natural component acts on culinary compositions in a similar way to monosodium glutamate, enhancing the taste of base products and at the same time increasing the sensitivity of taste buds. Read about what capers are eaten with in the following paragraphs.

Capers are added chopped into meat, fish dishes, sauces or as a main course.
Pickled buds can be added to pasta, pizza, or used to make any sandwich more piquant.
Having slightly pre-soaked the salted capers in water, they can be added to the Olivier salad, complemented with a delicious hodgepodge, and even put into a pie filling.

How to pickle capers?

If you live in the southern latitudes or are lucky enough to obtain caper flower buds in another way, learn how to prepare capers and make the spicy, valuable addition yourself. For savory preparations, it is important to select high-quality specimens that are neatly shaped and without damage.

Ingredients:

fresh capers – 0.5 kg;
garlic – 2-3 cloves;
lemon – 0.5 pcs.;
onion – 1 pc.;
apple cider vinegar – 1/3 bottle;
cloves – 3 pcs.;
allspice – 3 pcs.;
salt – 1 teaspoon.

Preparation

Capers are washed, dried and placed in a sterile jar.
Boil vinegar with chopped onions, chopped garlic, sliced lemon, adding spices and salt.
After boiling, remove the marinade from the heat, cool and pour into a jar with buds.
Cover the container with a sterile lid and refrigerate.
In a month, the pickled capers will be ready.

The most delicious salad with capers - recipe

The most healthy dishes with capers are those that include the component without heat treatment. One of these compositions will be salad. You can prepare it using simple recommendations from the following recipe or, using your imagination, create your own unique, most delicious version of a mouth-watering snack.

Ingredients:

capers – 2 tbsp. spoons;
chicken fillet – 300 g;
boiled eggs – 2 pcs.;
walnuts – 2 tbsp. spoons;
apple cider vinegar – 1 teaspoon;
sour cream or yogurt - 2 tbsp. spoons;
salt, pepper, spices.

Preparation

Boil the fillet in water with salt and spices.
Cut the chicken and eggs into cubes and chop the nuts.
Mix the ingredients in a salad bowl, adding capers.
Drizzle with sour cream and vinegar dressing, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Caper sauce for meat

One of the most simple ways The use of capers in food is the preparation of all kinds of sauces with the participation of this component. Finely chopped spicy pickled flower buds as an addition to meat skillfully emphasize the taste ready-made dish and will help him open up to the maximum.

Ingredients:

capers – 3 tbsp. spoons;
mustard – 2 teaspoons;
lemon – 0.5 pcs.;
parsley – 0.5 bunch;
garlic – 2 cloves;
mayonnaise – 100 g.

Preparation

Mix mayonnaise with lemon juice and mustard.
Finely chop the capers, parsley and garlic, add to the mixture with mayonnaise, and stir.
After 20-30 minutes it will brew and be ready to serve.

Pizza with capers

You can bake it in various variations, using ham or other sausages, boiled meat, mushrooms, all kinds of vegetables and other products as the base component for the filling. The following is a version with cheese and cottage cheese. Thanks to the pickled buds, the appetizer acquires a special charm.

Ingredients:

pizza dough – 500 g;
capers – 3 tbsp. spoons;
low-fat cottage cheese – 1 glass;
hard cheese – 400 g;
green onions – 1 bunch;
salad onion – 1 pc.;
fresh tomatoes – 700-800 g;
salt pepper.

Preparation

Mix cottage cheese with grated cheese, adding garlic and chopped green onions.
Salt the mass, pepper it, spread it on the dough rolled out on a baking sheet.
After 15 minutes, sprinkle the surface of the dish with olive oil and place in the oven.
Bake pizza for 20-25 minutes at 200 degrees.

Solyanka with capers - recipe

Anything with capers acquires a special, incomparable taste and unique exquisite piquancy. It is important to add the component at the end of cooking the dish - this way the dish will have time to be saturated with the spicy aromas of the additive and its irreplaceable valuable properties will be almost fully preserved.

Ingredients:

beef – 500 g;
smoked meats – 500 g;
pickled cucumbers – 200 g;
tomato paste – 5 tbsp. spoon;
capers – 3 tbsp. spoons;
onion – 150 g;
oil – 50 ml;
olives, herbs, lemon, sour cream - to taste;
salt, pepper, bay - to taste.

Preparation

Boil the meat, cut it, return it to the broth.
Sauté the onion in oil, add tomatoes and cucumbers, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Place chopped smoked meats into the pan, fry them, season the dish to taste, adding salt, pepper, bay, and cook for 15 minutes.
Throw in the lemon, olives, capers, and remove the container from the heat.
Solyanka is served with sour cream and herbs.

Turkey with potatoes and capers

Recipes with pickled capers always give excellent results and allow you to take a fresh look at the taste of familiar products. In this case, the additive in the multi-component sauce will transform the composition of turkey meat and potatoes, which can be served boiled in slices or made into classic puree.

Ingredients:

turkey fillet – 300 g;
potatoes – 500 g;
capers – 1 tbsp. spoon;
onion – 100 g;
butter – 4 tbsp. spoons;
skim milk – ¼ cup;
chicken demi-glace sauce – 3 tbsp. spoons;
lemon – 1 pc.;
salt, pepper, thyme.

Preparation

Turkey fillet is cut into slices, salted, peppered, and fried in oil on both sides until golden brown and cooked through.
In the same pan, fry the chopped onion, adding lemon zest.
Pour in milk, add demi-glace, simmer the mixture for a couple of minutes.
Stir in capers, thyme, salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.
Boil the potatoes.
Serve turkey with potatoes, generously seasoned with caper sauce.

Caesar dressing with anchovies and capers - recipe

Among the many variations of additions to many people's favorite salad, Caesar sauce with anchovies and capers is one of the most refined and original. Instead of chicken yolks, you can use quail egg yolks, and replace sweet mustard with a spicy one. Extra aroma will be given to the sauce by extra virgin oil if you add it along with refined oil.

Ingredients:

egg yolks – 3 pcs.;
sweet mustard – 1 tbsp. spoon;
capers and anchovies – 40 g each;
garlic – 4 cloves;
refined olive oil – 150 ml;
lemon juice – 1.5 tbsp. spoons;
Worcestershire sauce - 1 teaspoon.

Preparation

Beat the yolks with mustard and lemon juice for 7 minutes.
Add olive oil little by little and beat for another 5 minutes.
Add chopped garlic, anchovies and capers, stir in Worcestershire sauce.

Pasta with tuna and capers

Gourmet pasta with capers and tomatoes, complemented by slices canned tuna, will be the ideal solution for a light and at the same time nutritious dinner or lunch. The dish is prepared in a matter of minutes, and creates a real sensation even among discerning and demanding eaters.

Ingredients:

paste – 0.5 kg;
capers – 1 tbsp. spoon;
tomatoes – 400 g;
canned tuna – 2 cans;
onion – 1 pc.;
garlic – 2 cloves;
red pepper – ¼ teaspoon;
olive oil – 1 tbsp. spoon;
salt, pepper, herbs.

Preparation

Onions and garlic are sautéed in oil.
Add chopped tomatoes and capers, season the mixture with pepper and simmer for several minutes until thickened.
Add tuna without brine to the fryer and heat for 2 minutes, stirring.
Boil the pasta and serve with tuna, capers and tomatoes sauce, sprinkled with herbs.

What can you replace capers with?

It is not enough to understand what capers are and skillfully use them in cooking. It happens that at the most inopportune moment the necessary component for preparing your favorite dish is not available. Then knowledge of how to replace capers will come to the rescue so that the dish does not lose its taste and no one notices the substitution.

The simplest and most affordable alternative would be pickled gherkins, which need to be finely chopped.
Olives or olives can be a worthy replacement for capers.

Capers are a popular ingredient in many Mediterranean cuisines and have been used for over two thousand years. They are added to pasta dishes, salads, sauces, and sandwiches. Usually sold in canned form. Unfortunately, they are not so popular in our kitchen and many do not know what they are, where they are added, and what they can be replaced with. They refer to vegetables or other fruits.

What are capers and what do they look like?

Capers are the unripe fruits or buds of a plant that belongs to the Caperaceae family. They are obtained mainly from two members of this large family: capers (Cāpparis) and prickly capers (Capparis spinosa).

Characterized by a branched stem with alternating thick shiny oval shape and rich green leaves.

The flowers are very beautiful and fragrant. With four petals of white, yellow, pale pink and long stamens. They are located singly in the leaf axils. Flowering lasts from spring until autumn. One plant can simultaneously have flowers, buds and already ripening seeds.

After ripening, a fruit is formed - a box with seeds inside.

Among the representatives there are both annual and perennial plants.

The countries of the Mediterranean and Asia are considered its homeland. Although the exact place of origin is unknown to biologists.

There is no consensus on the origin of the name. Perhaps it is connected with the similar-sounding name of the island of Cyprus. Grows in southern Europe Central Asia, northern Africa. It is found here on the Crimean Peninsula, in the Caucasus region.

Due to the growing conditions it has great endurance. Not picky about soil conditions. It can even grow on rocks.

What capers look like photo:

Flowering caper plant

Pickled capers

Capers in section

What are the benefits of composition and calorie content?

The use of capers is due to their nutritional value. They are the sources:

Vitamins;

Minerals;

Carbohydrates;

Less than 1% fat;

Organic acids;

Essential oil;

Flavonoids;

Polyphenols;

Anthocyanins;

Antioxidant compounds.

They are especially rich in protein and iodine.

Of the vitamins, the most are vitamin A and K. Group B vitamins are present: riboflavin, thiamine, niacin, pyridoxine, pantothenic acid, folate. 4 milligrams of vitamin C, which is 5 percent of the daily value.

Flower buds are one of the highest plant sources of rutin (or rutoside). 100 grams contain 0.332 mg.

Rutin increases the elasticity of capillaries and prevents the formation of platelets.

Minerals are represented by iron, phosphorus, calcium. Trace values of zinc.

Pickled capers are high in sodium. 100 grams can contain up to 3000 mg, which is almost 200 percent of the acceptable salt intake.

The calorie content of canned capers is 23 kcal per 100 grams.

Benefit for health

In addition to culinary use, capers are used in medicine. Chemical composition, and most importantly, the presence of substances with antioxidant properties makes them useful for the prevention of a number of diseases:

High pressure;

Blood sugar;

Of cardio-vascular system;

Gastrointestinal tract;

Skeletal system.

Prevent anemia and minimize allergy symptoms.

Possess:

Anti-inflammatory;

Antihypertensive;

Antidiabetic;

Knitting;

Antioxidant;

Painkillers;

Antiseptic;

Healing

properties.

Caper fruits are chewed for toothache. Help with:

Pathologies of the thyroid gland;

Gum diseases;

Hemorrhoids.

Decoctions of bark, roots and flowers are drunk when

Neuroses;

Cardiac dysfunction;

Pain of various types.

Also in Ancient Egypt The liver and kidneys were treated with a decoction of the plant's root bark. Romans - paralysis. Used for treatment:

Hysterical fits;

Diseases of the spleen;

Colds;

Rheumatism;

Hypochondria.

Infusion and decoction of young leaves helps normalize blood sugar. The juice is used to treat wounds.

Preparations from the plant are useful for:

High temperature;

Headache;

Painful menstruation;

Besides, in Ancient Greece used as an aphrodisiac and anti-flatulence remedy.

Where and how are capers used?

It should be immediately noted that heat treatment does not affect the beneficial properties.

The first mention of the use of capers in cooking dates back to 2700 BC. Unripe fruits and flower buds were used by humans as a spicy seasoning and as an ingredient in culinary dishes.

Fresh capers have a pleasant delicate aroma and neutral taste. Canned ones can be spicy, salty, piquant. Although this seasoning also has a special aroma.

Some people note a hint of lemon in them, which makes them a great addition to sauces.

Most often used in Mediterranean cuisine. They are added to:

Tomato sauce;

Meat (especially veal);

Aioli sauce, popular in Europe, is made from caper brine. Grinded with salt, served with cheese.

Pairs well with many herbs:

Basil;

Rosemary;

Thyme;

Garlic.

How to choose

Capers are pickled with vinegar, vegetable oil or brine. They can simply be sprinkled with salt.

The best are buds with a diameter of 1 centimeter or less. Such fruits have a more delicate taste.

Although larger ones are also used in various dishes.

After opening, store in the refrigerator. To remove, use a stainless steel fork or spoon.

To reduce the salty taste, they are washed, soaked or doused with boiling water.

What can be replaced

Alas, such a product is not sold everywhere yet. For now it remains rare. Fortunately, they are easy to find replacements. After all, we replaced them in original recipe pickled or pickled cucumbers. In many other dishes, cucumber can be a good alternative.

The second option is green olives.

There are tips to use nasturtium seeds as a replacement. Quite suitable. According to scientists, they are even more useful.

Contraindications and harm

The main harm of pickled and canned capers is their high salt content.

Although they help cope with flatulence, but only when eaten in moderation. In large quantities, they can cause increased gas formation and heartburn.

Are capers good for you?

Their advantage is that when canned they retain most of their properties. Therefore, adding it to a salad or sauce is beneficial for the body and will add essential nutrients to the diet.

What do capers taste like?

Canning changes the flavor depending on the cooking method. But the aroma remains.

You can eat capers straight from the jar

No. Before eating, they need to be rinsed with water or even left in it for a while to remove excess salt. Although, in principle, they are already ready for consumption and do not require additional heat treatment.

Need to cook fresh capers

No. They can be eaten either raw or cooked. Can be fried, stewed or boiled. Dried buds have a sweet taste and were formerly used for sweetening. In the regions where this herb grows, jam is made from the young buds.

Capers are a vegetable or fruit

Neither one nor the other. Most often these are immature plant buds. Sometimes - unripe seeds. Considered a seasoning.

In culinary recipes you can often find such an ingredient as capers. Some already know what it is, for others it will be useful to read our article, find out where these small peas are grown, what benefits they bring and what dishes they are used in preparing. So, capers - what are they (photo)?

Appearance and taste of capers

Many people are interested in what capers look like. They are buds of flowers of a low shrub native to Africa and some Asian countries. Today, caperberries are grown in industrial scale in countries with warm climates: Spain, Italy, Greece, the south of France. The shrub itself is not too whimsical and does not require fertile soil, can even grow on rocks.

The buds are collected manually. Both small and large buds are edible, but the taste of small ones is better and the content of nutrients in them is higher. The collected raw materials are sun-dried and then preserved with vinegar and salt. The marinating process is finally completed after three months. Fresh caper buds are almost never used.

Pickled capers taste pretty spicy. They contain mustard oil, which gives the product a slight bitterness. Because of the marinade, you can also feel the acid in the buds. They are spicy and slightly tart, due to which they can diversify the taste of any dish. If for someone the content of vinegar and salt in the buds seems excessive, they can be soaked in boiled water for a short time, or placed in a colander and doused with boiling water.

Use in cooking

How to use capers cooking? Wherever these little peas are added:

They can be safely included in the list of dietary products, because per 100 grams. The product has only 23 calories if they are canned. The calorie content of fresh buds is almost half as much. If we talk about the value of capers, their composition contains a lot of fiber, organic acids and nutrients.

Useful and harmful properties

In addition to cooking, caper buds are used in folk medicine and cosmetology. They are believed to have the following impact:

astringent;
diuretic;
laxative;
hepatoprotective;
pain reliever;
antiseptic.

Use of this product positively affects the functioning of the heart, reduces bad cholesterol, improves brain activity and the functioning of the nervous system, improves immunity and prevents the development of anemia, and helps cleanse the intestines. A decoction of fresh buds is drunk for allergies, rheumatism, and manifestations of diathesis. The juice of the flowers has a wound-healing effect. The bark helps against toothache and colds. The leaves are brewed and used for jaundice, hypertension, and neuroses. It is recommended to chew the seeds for headaches. The fruits are used for flatulence, diseases of the thyroid gland and oral cavity.

Can caperberry buds cause harm? If you eat the buds in excess, you may experience nausea and bloating in the stomach. Some people experience individual intolerance to the plant. For those who suffer from constipation, have low blood pressure and increased libido, it is better to abstain from consuming the product or eat it in very small quantities.

What can you replace capers with?

You can always find this product on the shelves of large stores and supermarkets, but they may not be available in a small store. In addition, the buds are very expensive. Therefore, some people wonder what to replace capers with. Alternative The option suggests making your own analogue of caperberry buds from nasturtium. Those who have eaten them claim that this is a completely worthy replacement and comparable in taste.

Nasturtium buds and fruits in milky ripeness are suitable for harvesting. The collected buds and unripe fruits are sorted, washed, placed in sterile jars and filled with marinade. His prepare from:

If desired, you can add bay leaf, but it can interrupt the taste of the finished product. All ingredients are added to boiling water, after which they need to be boiled for 5 minutes and the prepared marinade is poured into jars. The blanks are covered with sterilized lids, allowed to cool and stored in a cool place. After 2-3 months, you can evaluate the taste of alternative “capers” and how similar they are to the real thing.

Recipes for dishes with capers

If you have never used these peas in culinary recipes, try it and maybe you will like it.

Olive oil with capers and spices. Heat the oil in a water bath until hot and add a pinch of thyme, rosemary and. After this, open the jar of pickled buds, drain the brine and place them in a container with oil and herbs. Turn off the heat and let cool. The oil will finally infuse in three days.
Salad with capers. For one can of canned fish take a small onion, a bunch of lettuce leaves and 100 grams. grated parmesan. The ingredients are crushed and mixed, at the end caper buds, vinegar are added and seasoned with olive oil. For those who like it spicy, you can pepper the dish.
Shrimp with capers. 700 gr. Peel the shrimp, roll in flour and fry in vegetable oil for 4 minutes. Separately prepare a sauce from tomato paste, fried onions, garlic and
- When choosing a jar of capers, pay attention to the size of the buds. It is better to buy smaller peas, their taste is richer.
- At home, the product is stored directly in open jar, leaving the marinade for no more than 2 months. Before use, a portion of capers is washed with water to get rid of excess salt.
- Add the buds to the dish at the last stage of cooking to useful material did not collapse under the influence of heat treatment. Do not add enough salt to the food in which you plan to add capers.
- To increase your appetite, you can eat 2-3 buds before meals.
- Be careful, overeating capers can cause vomiting.

A gift of the southern sun from a long-stemmed thorny shrub called Capparis spinosa in Latin. The plant blooms beautifully, but it is the collection of capers that deprives it of this flowering. The unopened buds of the bush are our piquant product. All capers are colored like dark olives, and the smallest buds are comparable to the size of corn kernels.

To eat, the buds are first pickled in a vinegar-salt mixture, so that they can be added to various dishes in a processed form.

Pickled buds sound strange only by ear. When cooked, capers look pretty. What this is can be clearly seen in the photo below:

The taste of capers covers several shades at once - tartness with sourness, reminiscent of mustard. And this is not surprising, because the buds contain a high content of mustard oil.

Composition and benefits of capers

The energy value of capers is formed by carbohydrates (up to 5%), there is a little protein (up to 2%) and very little fat (no more than 1%). As a result, they are low in calories - only 16-22 kcal per 100 grams of product - and have a very unusual nutrient content.

100 grams of salted buds contain the following substances:

Two daily (!) norms of sodium;
¼ of the daily value of vitamin K;
Up to 12% of the daily value of riboflavin (vitamin B2);
About 170 mg of quercetin (a powerful flavonoid with antioxidant properties).

What does this composition of capers tell us about the benefits and harms for the body?

Quercetin is the basis of laudatory reviews about the effect of exotic buds on youthful skin, women's health and protection against cancer. The multifunctional substance is perhaps the most studied antioxidant from a large group of plant flavonoids, numbering more than 6 thousand compounds. Small capers contain tens of times (!) more quercetin than apples, pears and raspberries - well-known suppliers of the valuable flavonoid.

However, there have not been sufficiently large clinical studies on quercetin. It is not calculated as a mandatory daily allowance and has not yet become a donor of breakthrough ideas for the pharmaceutical industry. Nutraceuticals have the most reverent attitude towards it. Quercetin is an integral part of many dietary supplements designed to slow down aging and reduce the risk of cancer.

What do we get from capers, besides beneficial quercetin? Unfortunately, there is too much salt, which is contraindicated for many particular diseases - hypertension, vascular atherosclerosis and kidney problems.

There are two ways to reduce the harm from excess sodium in capers:

Buy only pickled capers (not salted), where there is less sodium;
Soak the buds for at least 30 minutes before cooking with them.

Choosing the right varieties

Rely on maximum size - common mistake consumer when purchasing an unknown product. Bigger doesn't always mean better. This also applies to capers. The most expensive varieties are small buds.

Since the unknown is present only here, and in Europe and America they have long chosen an original product, manufacturers have developed a clear grid of sizes and varieties.

We list the varieties in descending order of price and value:

The highest grade - non-pareil - up to 7 millimeters in size;
Surfines - size 7–8 millimeters;
Capucines - 8-9 millimeters;
Capotes - 9–11 millimeters;
Fines - 11–13 millimeters;
Grusas - 14 millimeters or more - the least valuable variety.

Which countries love capers?

Of course, in the Mediterranean countries. In the famous diet of the same name, buds are given a special place, so it is very easy to find dishes with them in Greece, Italy, and Cyprus.

Pickled capers go well with pasta in various sauces (for example, Tartar and Tomato), and fit perfectly into meat and fish dishes, especially chicken, tuna and smoked salmon. They easily become the key accent of taste in vegetable salads, and the leaves of the shrub are generously used in chopped form - just as we do with curly leaf lettuce.

Recipes with capers

So, we found out what capers are, but we still don’t know what they are eaten with in detailed recipes. Culinary enthusiasts who are passionate about new products love to exclaim, “There are a great many recipes!” We would not say that the number will reach the “great” level, but there are indeed quite a few attractive combinations.

Below we have described the simplest and most universally delicious options that use pickled capers.

Cheese salad with tuna

We need: 300 grams of tuna (canned in its own juice), 120 grams of hard cheese (Dutch, Russian), a small onion, 15-20 pickled capers, mayonnaise.
What we do: cut the ingredients into small cubes, sprinkle with buds, season with mayonnaise or a mixture of mayonnaise and ketchup in equal proportions.
The salad happily accepts new ideas: a little canned corn, any chopped greens, or half a diced green apple.

Red bell pepper pasta sauce

We need: 1 large and meaty Bell pepper red, 150-200 grams of canned tuna, 2 large cloves of garlic, 1 heaped tablespoon of capers.

What we do: in a hot frying pan in olive oil, fry the peppers, cut into short strips, until elastic and soft. Towards the end of frying, add chopped garlic. Remove from heat, combine with chopped tuna and add spicy buds.

You can enrich the taste with basil leaves or a selection of Italian herbs.

Lemon sauce for fish dishes

We need: 1 lemon, 100 ml olive oil, 2 tablespoons French mustard, 2 teaspoons sugar, medium bunch of dill, 3 tablespoons small capers.

What we do: wash the lemon well and use a fine grater to remove the yellow part of the zest from half the fruit. Squeeze the juice of the entire lemon into a bowl. Combine the zest, juice, oil and mustard, add chopped dill and beat the mixture in a blender - with moderate fanaticism.

Our goal is homogeneity, but not completely crushed dill and always whole capers. You can finely chop part of the bunch and add it after whipping. Finally, add capers, stir the sauce with a fork and serve.

Dill can be replaced with any herbs suitable for fish (parsley, basil, celery, thyme), as well as fried onions. In any case, we keep the same principle: we grind part of the ingredient, finely chop part and add more.

Shrimp in tomato sauce with capers

Our ingredients: shrimp (800 grams), medium onion, 4-5 medium tomatoes, tomato paste (1 tbsp), flour (2-3 tbsp), finely chopped parsley (2 tbsp), capers (2 -3 tbsp), vegetable oil for frying, salt, pepper to taste.
How to prepare: cut the tomatoes into pieces about 2 cm and pour them into a frying pan with oil. Add tomato paste here and simmer for 7-10 minutes over moderate heat, stirring constantly. Bread the shrimp in flour and fry for about 5 minutes. Pour the sauce over them, sprinkle with parsley and pickled buds.
By the way, shrimp can easily give way to strips or pieces of boiled squid. The main thing is to place the squid in the sauce at least 1 hour before serving, so that they have time to soak while waiting in the refrigerator for the meal.

Pay attention to the hearty men's dish - a meat solyanka, where capers make delicious friends with chicken, beef, smoked meats and pickles. Let's give the chef his due: he perfectly explains many important nuances of hodgepodge. With such guidance, even a novice cooking fan can handle it!

We hope our detailed story about the practical side of a little-known product was useful to you. Now you know the answers to questions about capers - what they are and what they eat them with. And that means you can gracefully show off your erudition in a friendly conversation, while at the same time feeding your guests and family something new!

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