Capers Food Facts: What are Capers?

We often get to see capers as an additive or as a seasoning over many Italian and French dishes. Many bon vivants are simply crazy about the flavor of capers. They are the most common ingredient in the Mediterranean cuisine. Caperberries are actually olive green in color and are about the size of a corn. Capers can also be found in a pickled form. Capers are an important commercial plant because almost all parts of the caper plant like flowers, buds and leaves are used for medicinal and culinary purposes. More on caper plant facts.

What are Capers: Taxonomy
Caper is a perennial spiny shrub that has fleshy, alternative and rounded leaves and white-pinkish flowers. There are more than 150 species of the caper plant with a few of them being very popular spices in various cuisines.

Kingdom	Plantae
Division	Angiosperm
Class	Magnoliopsida
Sub class	Dilleniidae
Order	Capparidales
Family	Capparidaceae
Genus	Capparis
Species	spinosa

Capers Food Facts: History
Most parts of the caper plant has been used for medicinal purposes by the Romans and the Greeks. They used to prepare herbal tea to treat medical conditions like fibromyalgia or rheumatism, by using the roots and stems of the caper plant. The caper is a salt resistant plant that can easily sustain extreme drought. This can be the reason why capers thrived in the hot and arid Mediterranean regions like Algeria, Cyprus, Iran and Greece, many of the southern European countries like Spain, Italy, France and some parts of America like Florida and California.

Capers Food Facts: Ontogenesis
The caper plant has extremely deep root system that can adapt to the most dry regions and soil types. If not harvested properly, the caperberries dehisce and then the process of germination takes place in favorable environmental conditions. The favorable environmental condition for the capers is rocky soil that has an annual precipitation of 350mm and good drainage. The plant also requires ample amount of sunlight, capers can tolerate temperature more than 40⁰C. Capers are not affected much by the common diseases and pests. An interesting capers food fact is that the best of the caperberries are produced when the plantation is done in an extremely poor soil. Hence, you can also think about gardening the caper plant in your home garden!

Capers Food Facts: Medicinal Usages
Capers are one of the most important ingredients for herbal teas. The barks, leaves and caper flower buds have been used for treating various medical conditions including eye infections, irritable bowel syndrome, stomach pain, urinary dysfunctions, kidney diseases, flatulence, menstruation and gastrointestinal problems as well. Capers are said to be a great help for body detoxification.

Capers Food Facts: Culinary Usages
The color as well as the piquant and sour flavor of the caper is somewhat similar to that of the green olives. Smaller caper berries are more aromatic than the larger ones. Capers have a hint of acidity and spicy and tangy flavor hence they are very popular in culinary like smoked salmon, salsa, salads and pickles that are made using salt and vinegar. More on what are caper berries.

The term capers is referred to both the fruits as well as the flowers of the caper plant. Caper flowers are hand harvested and then pickled using salt and vinegar. These capers are a bit expensive due to the amount of efforts it takes for preparation. Caperberries that are smaller in size are also called as nonpareil and they are a great preferent of the food lovers and chefs due to their pronounced taste and delicate texture. These pickled caper berries are used in plenty for garnishing and seasoning various food recipes.

What are Capers: Nutrition Facts
Check out the following chart that describes the nutritional value of caper berries per 100 g or 3.5 oz.

Contents	Amount
Carbohydrates	5gm
Energy	20 kcal
Fat	0.9g
Dietary fiber	3g
Sugar	0.4g
Iron	1.7 mg
Sodium	2960mg
Protein	2g
Vitamin C	4mg

Now we know what is a caper and we also know its origin and history. Knowing all about the capers food facts, I am sure you will soon try and replace other seasoning options with capers! Am I right?