Capers

Here are some interesting facts about capers, just to be sure.

Capers are buds

Capers are flower buds, that is the flower before blooming, belonging to the Capparis Spinosa plant. One needs a trained eye and quick reflexes to harvest them. As a matter of fact, harvest time, i.e., the timespan between the bud formation and flowering, is very short and if you wait too long, you will end up with a nice bunch of flowers.

Moreover, capers are only harvested by hand between the months of May and September and they are located in very inconvenient places (we will see later on why is that). It is, all in all, a hard work that allows no mistakes.

The harvest must be fast, because the caper is actually a caper for a very short time. If the flower has slightly opened, it is no longer possible to collect it. 

All parts of capers can be eaten 

We have talked about capers, but what other parts of this plant can we eat? Only few people know that caper leaves are delicious, too. They are often eaten in Sicily and in Greece, but they are not very famous outside of these areas.

It is a pity, because they truly are exceptional. They can be steamed or packed in oil and added to salads, meat or fish. Have you ever tried to bread and fry them? They taste incredible!

Another part of this plant that we can eat is the actual fruit. Caper berries are smooth, much larger than the caper, have a tapered shape and are full of seedlings. The taste is similar to capers, but slightly less savory and more bitter. They are preserved in oil and are perfect as an appetizer, but also for the preparation of sauces and gravies. 

Caper flowers are wonderful

Have you ever seen those beautiful milk-white flowers with purple stalks bearing round pouch-like parts that have a brighter colour, whose scientific name is anthers? They are capers that have not been harvested and have, hence, bloomed. 

It is a waste of capers, I agree, but they look amazingly beautiful on the walls and between cracks, don’t you think? They are always located in weird places, not because the caper plant particularly likes uncomfortable spots, but due to geckos and lizards. Let me explain. 

How did a caper seed get there?

Well, somebody left it there, that is geckos and lizards which love eating capers. Caper seeds pass through their digestive systems and exit via stools that are left in the most awkward places, between cracks on the walls and fissures on cliffs.

If you go to Pantelleria, do not be surprised by the amount of lizards and geckos you see around - they found their heaven on earth with all those capers!

Size matters

It does, but the other way around. The smaller the capers are, the most precious they are. Big capers, on the contrary, are hardly sold as whole, but they are rather used to make industrial sauces and other products.

Smaller capers are also more sapid than the bigger ones and more compact. That’s why it is so important to check their size: the best ones are not bigger than 7mm.

Vinegar? No, thank you

Prime-quality capers are packed in salt or in oil. Salt does not alter the sensory properties of capers and a good rinse is enough to get rid of it, while oil – which must, of course, be Italian extra virgin olive oil – is an ideal method of preservation and it does not dehydrate food.

On the contrary, vinegar alters the flavour permanently. It is a waste to pack quality products in vinegar, since it jeopardises the real flavour of capers.

PDO and PGI capers

Capers from Pantelleria have a PGI label, while capers from the Aeolian islands have officially obtained the PDO label on the 7th May 2020. Both the PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) and PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) labels are awarded to products whose features depend on the geographical area of origin.

What is the difference? According to the PDO label, production, processing and preparation must happen within that specific area, while according to the PGI label, only one of these steps has to be carried out in the area.

Capers from Pantelleria have a PGI, and not a PDO label. That means that you could find some capers that come from the island, but were processed elsewhere, or come from a different area and were processed by employing traditional techniques from Pantelleria.

La Nicchia is the only caper factory with a farm in Pantelleria

La Nicchia has been cultivating and processing capers since 1949 on the island of Pantelleria, also called the black pearl of the Mediterranean, because of the black lava.

Their mission is all about respecting and enhancing Pantelleria’s culture and land which bears excellent fruits, but only gives them to those who have earned it with hard work.

From the plant to the jar

You can’t go wrong with La Nicchia’s capers, in each jar you’ll find the highest quality of raw materials and craft techniques for processing. But how do you recognize exceptional capers?

First of all, the size: the best capers never exceed 7mm in size. The smaller they are, the more savory and compact they are. Then the conservation method: first quality capers are preserved in oil or salt, never pickled. If the product is good, why change its taste with vinegar? Or maybe that product was not so good to begin with?

We talked about capers, caper berries and caper leaves, but if you’re a fan of intense and savory taste there are other products that you should know about. The caper salt is an absolutely brilliant invention. It is nothing but the sea salt used for the maturation, it contains the capers’ vegetation water and contains all their aroma. 

Crispy capers, another delicacy by La Nicchia, are the perfect combination of traditional techniques and technological innovation. They are sun-dried and then put in a dehydrator and are perfect to add a crunchy note to any dish, as well as great to simply munch directly from the jar.

And, obviously, capers are great to make exceptional pâtés and pestos. You just have to try La Nicchia’s caper and olive pâté as well as sundried tomato and caper pâté, open the jar let yourself be taken under the Pantellerian sun. 

It’s worth saying that capers are simply the best! Small but full of flavour, these delicious buds are the perfect symbol of a land rich in great cultures and traditions.