The caper (Capparis spinosa) grows on a perennial spiny bush that has big white flowers (sometimes even pink) and fat fleshy leaves. The caper is a bud and is the part that’s commonly picked for culinary purposes. It’s generally found in the Mediterranean region nowadays and grows wild on walls or against the rocks in the coastal areas throughout this region. The edible bud as well as the fruit (we know as the caper berry) is usually eaten and often pickled or salted. There’s a huge variety of plants which explain the difference in the capers we buy from the various regions. The salted or pickled buds of the caper

plants are often used as a seasoning or garnish and the mature fruits, known as caper berries are used in much the same way – especially by the Cypriots and most Mediterranean people. Capers probably originated from the arid regions in western and central Asia since they have been used there for thousands of years – there’s mention of them in the Gilgamesh, possibly the oldest written story documented and found on ancient Sumerian clay tablets dating back to c. 2700 B.C. Apicius also mentioned them as did Dioscorides, a surgeon in Nero’s army who confirmed that they were initially used by the ancient Greeks who not only used them as an ingredient in cooking but also used the roots and leaves of the plant for medicinal purposes.

CHICKEN BREASTS IN CREAM AND CAPER SAUCE

Ingredients

• 4 large whole chicken breasts,  skinless and split into two
• 30 g small capers, drained well
• 4 large eggs, beaten
• 130 ml whipping cream
• 120 g freshly grated Parmesan
• 125 ml flour (to coat the chicken)
• 250 butter -
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 125 ml good white wine (on the dry side)
• 1 medium-sized shallot, chopped
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

• Whisk the eggs in bowl and combine with the grated parmesan, salt, and freshly ground pepper and set aside.
• Dust the chicken breasts with the flour and then coat in the reserved egg mixture.
• Melt ½ of the butter in a shallow non-stick pan over medium heat and add a little of the olive oil to prevent burning – fry the chicken on both sides until it is golden and just cooked.
• Preheat oven to 180 C.
• Using a spatula (metal not plastic), transfer  the chicken to a baking dish and bake, uncovered, for 15 – 20 minutes until done.
• In the meantime, combine the wine, the shallots, half the capers and the cream and pour into a non-stick saucepan over reasonably high heat, reduce the mixture by half and remove from the heat (it would have thickenend), set aside for a while.
• Cut the remaining butter into small pieces and whisk into the reduction until all the butter is incorporated and the sauce is silky.
• Remove the chicken from the oven and place on individual serving plates, ladle over the chicken and serve garnished with the rest of the capers.

When the buds are ready to pick, they are dark green and about the same size as a kernel of corn and then picked, salted or preserved in brine. The flavour intensifies when mustard oil (glucocapparin) is released from each caper bud – this enzymatic reaction also leads to the formation of rutin often seen as crystallized white spots on the surfaces of individual caper buds. Capers are an important ingredient in Italian cuisine, especially in Sicilian and southern Italian food where they are regularly used in pasta dishes, pizzas, meat and seafood.  In the south of Italy, the capers are more often preserved in salt and not brined.

CRAYFISH  PASTE

Ingredients

• 500 g roughly chopped cooked crayfish meat (you can also use shrimp or crab here)
• 1 lemon, grated zest only
• 1 tbsp fresh lemon (or lime) juice
• 125 g fresh coriander leaves,  chopped (here you could substitute parsley as well)
• 1 tbsp onions, finely chopped
• 1 generous tbsp capers preserved in salt (if you can find only those preserved in brine, use them)
• Homemade Mayonnaise
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method

• Combine the crayfish, the lemon zest, the lemon (or lime) juice, the fresh coriander leaves, the onions and the capers in a bowl.
• Add just enough mayonnaise to bind and season with salt and freshly ground pepper (take care with the salt since the capers will be salty.)
• Combine well and then chill until you serve with crackers, melba toast or fresh crunchy bread.
• It will keep overnight.

Capers are one of the most important ingredients of tartar sauce and they are often served with cold smoked or cured salmon – imagine gravadlax and cream cheese without capers! They are categorized and sold by their size with the smallest capers the most sought after:

• Non-pareil (up to 7 mm),
• Surfines (7-8 mm)
• Capucines (8-9 mm)
• Capotes (9-11 mm)
• Fines (11-13 mm)
• Grusas (14 and over mm)

Occasionally unripe nasturtium seeds are substituted for capers because they have a similar texture and flavour when pickled – however, it’s not the same thing. Should the caper bud not be picked, it will flower and then it produces a fruit known as a caperberry which is pickled (often served as a mezze in Greece).

CAPER, SARDINE AND ANCHOVY PASTA SAUCE

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp salted capers
• 2 x 120g containers or tins of sardines (double layer) in olive oil
• 150g of anchovy fillets in oil
• 3 large plum tomatoes, peeled
• 150 ml extra virgin olive oil
• 1 hot red chilli, finely chopped
• 1 handful of fresh basil leaves
• 1 onion, chopped finely
• 250 ml petit pois (tiny peas)
• Pasta, cooked al dente (important – it has to be al dente and not soft)
• Italian parsley (chopped) or parmesan cheese, grated (Optional)

Method

• Combine the sardines and the anchovy fillets, the tomatoes, the capers, chilli, the basil leaves and 140 ml of the olive oil and blend until the mixture is smooth.
• Heat the remaining 10 ml of olive oil in a frying pan and fry the chopped onions and peas lightly (the onions need only be softened and the peas heated)
• Cook pasta until al dente.
• Place all the ingredients in a large bowl and gently combine everything until the pasta is generously coated in the caper and sardine sauce and the onions and peas are evenly distributed throughout the dish.
• Sprinkle with fresh parsley or in the event that your are using parmesan, sprinkle it on and serve immediately.

The Greeks also use the caper’s leaves in their cuisine and they are delicious but difficult to find outside Greece. They are pickled or boiled and preserved in jars with brine and are used in salads and fish dishes. The dried leaves can also be used as a substitute for rennet when making top quality cheeses. The capers that grow on the island of Santorini are of outstanding quality because they grow in the volcanic ash. In ancient Greece, the caper was used as a carminative (a medication used to prevent gas). The word comes from the latin capparis which was borrowed from the Greek word  kápparis that was probably linked to the island of Cyprus where capers, typically, thrive.  It is suggested, in the Old Testament of the Bible, that the caper-berry had aphrodisiac properties (the word, abiyyonah (caper-berry) means desire – see the book of Ecclesiastes, verse 12:5. “Furthermore, men are afraid of a high place and of terrors on the road; the almond tree blossoms, the grasshopper drags himself along, and the caperberry is ineffective…..” The New American Standard Bible 1995*.

The caperberry was considered healthy by the Greeks who made a herbal tea from the roots to counteract rheumatism and inflammation. Rutin is a powerful antioxidant and has no known toxicity. Capers contain more quercetin per weight than any other plant. Quercetin is a phytochemical that is part of the colouring found in the skins of apples and red onions – this has been been isolated and is sold as a dietary supplement. It is also a powerful antioxidant that has natural anti-histamine and anti-inflammatory properties. Research shows that it may help to prevent cancer –  especially prostate cancer.

*We looked at 17 different translations of this verse in the Bible and the caper-berry translation appears in over half of them.