The caper: appreciating antioxidants and flavor of worldly bud

September 23, 3:02 PMHealthy Travel ExaminerCheryl Murphy

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wikimedia commons/Danielle Keller/pickled capers

Open any fridge and one may discover an unpretentious shaded jar of capers perched upon the top shelve with no demand to be opened, but we still must appreciate the pungent pellets for many of their remarkable qualities.

Capers, sometimes misidentified as an olive, are gathered from a caper bush known as capperis spinosa. The bush can grow up to ten feet tall and seems to grow wild in unfertilized, poor soil usually flourishing on old Greek and Roman walls and found throughout the Mediterranean region. The round, fleshy leaves are three inches in length and capers are the unopened bud that starts to appear in late May when the harvesting begins. The harvest is intense since capers remain fresh for only a few hours after picked. They must immediately be thrown into brine to preserve. Harvest usually continues until August. If the bud is left on the bush too long, it will bloom into a white flower known as a caper berry. Caper berries also can be used in food, but are mostly recognized for showing up on the rim of a martini.

The buds can vary in size. The smaller one, being the nonpareil caper, is usually 7 millimeters in size, capotes range from nine to eleven millimeters then the grusa can be larger than 14 millimeters. Many enjoy the larger caper, but some say that the smaller buds that are picked early during the harvest tend to have an enhanced flavor. Spain and Denmark are the larger producers, but Morocco and Turkey also cultivate the bud as well.

Capers are loaded with quercetin which are flavonoids used for blood vessel protection. They are rich with antioxidants and have been reported to fight cancer cells along with heart disease. Capers have been known for centuries for their medicinal properties - headaches, rheumatism and hair loss, but most value the enhanced flavor found in meat and pasta dishes, salads, sauces, pates, tartar sauce or by themselves. Capers are always cured or pickled in salt or brine and sometimes with wine. They preserve well so it is easy to transport them around the world.

This savory pellet has been used for centuries to enhance flavor in many epicurean delights and will continue to do so. So, the next time you need a little zest in your salad, try a few caper buds. You'll probably find it will add an undeniably punch to any dish.