In Cooking What Is a Caper?

The capers we see in the grocery store are the un-ripened green flower buds of the plant. Once they're picked, the immature buds are dried and then preserved. Capers are either cured in salt or pickled in brine, which is what gives capers their trademark savory, briny flavor profile.

What exactly is a caper?

Capers are immature flower buds from the Capparis spinosa (aka the “caper bush”), which grow all over the Mediterranean, just like olives do. ... Then they're pickled in vinegar or preserved in salt because eaten freshly picked, they'd taste no better than a freshly picked olive, which is to say, not so good.

What food is a caper?

Capers are the small flower buds of the Capparis shrub that grows in the Mediterranean. As they're picked by hand, they're fairly pricey, but they're a versatile storecupboard ingredient that's ideal for adding a distinctive sour/salty flavour to many savoury dishes.