The logic of the caper plant — buds, flower, fruit — reveals itself slowly, and finally there are predominately salted capers that are so much part of Italian cooking.
Watching a caper bush through its full cycle allows a deeper understanding: tight unopened buds, extravagant white flowers with violet stamens, pollinated berries that swell on long curved stalks.
Caper Bushes and the Life Cycle of Capers
Caper bushes are Capparis spinosa.
I have seen many caper bushes growing in Sicily where little else survives — in crevices, along dry-stone walls, through black volcanic soil and sun-baked earth. I lived in Trieste as a child and caper bushes grew on the walls surrounding the Church of San Giusto!
Now I am able to observe one bush thriving in a garden in Adelaide, equally at ease in heat, stone and poor soil. It receives little water, yet produces an abundance of flowers. Its restraint in growth contrasts with the dramatic display of its blooms.
A tight green bud unfurls into delicate white petals and a burst of long violet stamens. The flower lasts barely a day. In Adelaide’s heat, by mid-morning the flower softens and collapses. What follows depends entirely on pollination. And after some rain I even spotted some bees circling around the flowers.
In the photographs, the stages of the buds to capers, and caperberries are clear.
Some flowers have fallen, leaving only a slender stem.
Others show the ovary beginning to swell — the promise of a caper berry.
A few have formed smooth, olive-shaped fruit poised on curved stalks. And these are the caper berries.
Pollination is decisive. Without it, the flower falls and no berry forms. When we harvest capers — the unopened buds — we deliberately interrupt the plant’s reproductive cycle.
Culinary Uses
Capers are used in a wide variety of culinary applications and are a key ingredient in many Italian dishes. Some common examples include:
- Sicilian pasta con le sarde
- Vitello tonnato
- Caper sauces with anchovy and lemon, very suitable for fish dishes
- Tomato, potato and a wide range of uncooked and cooked vegetable salads
- Salsa verde
- Pasta Puttanesca
Caper berries, larger and milder, suit antipasto platters, smoked fish garnishes and even cocktails in place of olives. Recently I used one instead of a green olive in a Martini!
Salting Capers: Preservation
Capers require preservation. Fresh caper buds are intensely bitter and must be cured.
Caper bushes can be found all over Sicily. The traditional Sicilian method — is dry salting rather than pickling.
The salt draws out moisture through osmosis, it reduces bitterness by leaching harsh compounds and preserves by inhibiting microbial growth.
Unlike vinegar pickling, salting concentrates and refines flavour rather than masking it.
|
Salt-Packed |
Vinegar-Preserved |
|---|---|
|
More complex flavour |
Sharper, more acidic |
|
Cleaner aroma |
Vinegar can dominate |
|
Traditional in Sicily |
Common commercially |
|
Requires rinsing |
Ready to use |
Before using salt-packed capers, rinse well and soak briefly (10–15 minutes or longer if needed and larger capers may require more soaking ), then gently squeeze dry.
Three Sicilian Islands where capers Thrive and are processed for export
Across Sicily’s southern islands, Capparis spinosa demonstrates remarkable adaptability.
Pantelleria — with its volcanic soil and fierce sun — produces intensely aromatic buds protected as Cappero di Pantelleria IGP. Dry-salting and size grading are meticulous. The smallest buds are prized for concentration and finesse. This small island lies in the Strait of Sicily, about 100 km southwest of Sicily and roughly 60 km east of Tunisia.
Lampedusa, shaped by limestone and water scarcity, preserves capers pragmatically in dry salt — no brine, no excess moisture. Here, capers reflect adaptation and subsistence Italy’s southernmost island, Lampedusa lies between Malta and Tunisia.
Salina and the Aeolian Islands balance cultivation with daily use. Dry-salting remains a common method, though brining is becoming commercially significant. Capers flavour fish, vegetables and salads — integrated into routine cooking. They also are added to sauces and I also add them to pan fried meat dishes. Salina is one of the Aeolian Islands north of Sicily, Southern Italy and is the second largest island in the archipelago.
Dry salt curing required no fresh water, used abundant sea salt, preserved buds without refrigeration and intensified flavour rather than masking it.
Capers Preserved in Vinegar
Vinegar-preserved capers are widely available, especially outside Sicily and used very much in northern Italy. After salting, they are packed in wine or distilled vinegar.
Advantages:
- Convenient and ready to use
- Long shelf life
- Bright acidity
- Consistent flavour
The trade-off is that vinegar can dominate and obscure the caper’s more delicate floral and herbal notes. Salted capers are preferred when subtlety matters; vinegar-preserved capers suit dishes that benefit from extra sharpness.
When Capers Dominate: Caponata
Capers are used extensively in Sicilian cooking. Caponata is an iconic Sicilian favourite that many who live outside Sicily would be familiar with .
A traditional Sicilian caponata balances fried eggplant, celery, olives and agrodolce. There are many types of caponate (plural) made with various vegetables. Two most common varieties are the Palermitana (as described above) and the Catanese, which also includes peppers. While caponata contains both green olives and capers, it is the salted capers that provide the structure. Their saline intensity cuts through oil and sweetness, anchoring the dish to coastal Sicily. In Western Sicily, cooks increase the proportion of capers, shifting the dish from a gently sweet to a greater savoury profile. When I now make a caponata, I am using a greater amount of capers and am aware of the difference. With high-quality salted capers the flavour is unmistakably Sicilian.
Pesto di Capperi alla Siciliana
This pesto is simple to prepare and retains its flavour when kept in the refrigerator.
In this recipe, capers are not a background seasoning, but the defining flavour. Their salty, floral and slightly wild profile replaces basil. There are usually no set quantities in Sicilian recipes and everything is made by using eyes, taste and feel. Taste the pesto as you go and adjust to what you like.
Across western Sicily, capers are crushed with almonds, herbs and olive oil to create a textured paste with a distinctive flavour. This pesto celebrates salinity and aroma.
Spoon over grilled fish, toss through pasta, spread on bread or stir into boiled potatoes and beans.
Ingredients: adjust according to taste
- 4–6 tbsp salted capers, rinsed and dried
- 80 g blanched almonds
- 2 small garlic clove
- A handful of flat-leaf parsley
- Some mint leaves (optional)
- Zest of 1/2- 1 lemon
- 8–12 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Freshly ground black pepper
Method
Pesto in Sicily is traditionally made with a mortar and pestle. I use a small food processor to make this. I carry it with me when I travel and it is with me in Adelaide at the moment.
- Rinse, soak and dry capers. Soak sufficiently as you do not want the pesto to be over salty.
- Crush garlic and almonds. Blend/pulse.
- Add capers and pound (grind) to a coarse paste.
- Work in herbs.
- Add olive oil gradually to achieve a rustic texture.
- Finish with pepper and some lemon zest.
Store in a glass jar. Cover with a thin layer of extra virgin olive oil to help preserve the contents.
as mentioned above experiment and add more capers in Caponata:
CAPONATA FROM PALERMO (made with eggplants)
CAPONATA Catanese (from Catania) made easy with photos
CAPONATA of Potatoes (Recipe for Caponata di patate)
CAPPERI (Capers and caper bushes)
THE MANY VERSIONS OF CAPONATE and grilled food
VITELLO TONNATO MADE WITH GIRELLO (cut of meat)
TUNNU `A STIMPIRATA; TONNO ALLA STEMPERATA (Tuna with onions, vinegar, capers and green olives)
SARSA DI CHIAPPAREDDI (King George Whiting presented with a sauce made with capers and anchovies)
Staples in my fridge; olives, capers, anchovies and nuts
