Buzz
As someone who enjoys brined and heavily salted foods, I truly value the many offerings of the caper bush. From it, we not only receive capers but also caperberries—two items that might seem alike but are in fact quite distinct.
Capers and caperberries are harvested from the caper bush at different stages of development. Capers—those small, intensely salty, zesty little buds often found on a bagel with lox—are the immature, unopened flower buds, whereas caperberries are the fully developed fruit.
Both are typically brined, but caperberries are larger, more delicate, and offer a lemony, floral taste. Salt-packed caperberries tend to be firmer than those brined in liquid, which, like most pickled items, are tangy and salty, with crunchy seeds resembling those found in a kiwi fruit.
Use caperberries just like you would olives—especially in chilled martinis. You can roast them whole, stems intact, next to a protein or enjoy them solo, or toss them into a hearty bowl of pasta. They also make a fantastic pizza topping: Slice them into thin rounds and scatter them like pepperoni.
Capers, on the other hand, are smaller and have a sharper flavor, yet they still pack a bright punch and are best used as a garnish (or fried as a tasty bar snack). Capers are picked before they bloom and classified by size, with the smallest—referred to as “non-pareil,” meaning “unequaled”—being the most prized. Pantelleria capers, hand-harvested from an island between Sicily and Tunisia, are stored fermented in sea salt and are considered the finest, making them perfect as a garnish to showcase their intricate flavor.
But all capers are pretty delightful. They work wonders on chicken, fish, salads, pasta, and even in compound butter. (In short, they’re great in all sorts of savory dishes.)
Both capers and caperberries are usually either packed in salt or immersed in brine. The salt-packed versions are, unsurprisingly, very salty, so it’s a good idea to rinse them (or soak them overnight) to reduce the salinity before adding them to your dishes. Some folks recommend doing the same with the brined varieties, but I, for one, never do, because I love salt. (If eating capers straight from the jar is wrong, then I don't want to be right.)
