Fruit of the Caper Plant
The many uses of caperberries.

If caper buds are left on the bush, they will eventually explode into fragrant three- to four-inch white flowers that look like miniature roses with long violet stamens. When the flowers fall off, oval-shaped, seed-filled fruits called caper berries grow at the end of newly formed stalks. Spanish producers have found a niche for these inch-long fruits—pickling them in brine, like the bud that precedes them, before packaging and selling them. In Spain, caper berries are eaten as tapas—but they're also a delicious accompaniment to pates, cold meats, and salads. They've even caught on recently in this country as a trendy—and tasty—alternative to olives in vodka and gin martinis.

A teaspoon of finely chopped capers gives burgers a pleasing, concentrated saltiness.

Capers
MICHAEL KRAUS
Culture

Fruit of the Caper Plant

The many uses of caperberries.

If caper buds are left on the bush, they will eventually explode into fragrant three- to four-inch white flowers that look like miniature roses with long violet stamens. When the flowers fall off, oval-shaped, seed-filled fruits called caper berries grow at the end of newly formed stalks. Spanish producers have found a niche for these inch-long fruits—pickling them in brine, like the bud that precedes them, before packaging and selling them. In Spain, caper berries are eaten as tapas—but they're also a delicious accompaniment to pates, cold meats, and salads. They've even caught on recently in this country as a trendy—and tasty—alternative to olives in vodka and gin martinis.

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