CAPERBUSH (Capparis spinosa)

The capers of commerce are the pickled or salted immature buds of the spiny shrub caperbush (Capparis spinosa), also known as C. rupestris and C. ovata, along with a number of varietal names, including inermis, aegyptica, mariana, and galeata. Some of the varieties, such as inermis, have been bred to be spineless. "Spinosa" refers to the pair of hooked spines at the base of each leaf stalk. The genus Capparis is in the family Capparidaceae (aka Capparaceae), of which our locally known garden flower "cleome" has been another member until recently. Cleome has been moved into its own family, the Cleomaceae, but the resemblance of the flowers to those of the various Capparaceae is striking. The Brassicas are also closely related.

Shrubs of dry environments, capers grow wild in coastal areas all around the Mediter-ranean basin and are cultivated commercially in some areas, such as Sicily, Greece, Iran and Morocco. Their ancient origins are believed to have been further east, however, in west or central Asia. The name comes from the Greek word kapparis. The bushes grow three to five feet high, with rounded two-inch leaves and flowers from two to three inches in diameter. Reputed to be quite fragrant, the flowers open at dawn and close by late afternoon, during which time they are a magnet for pollinating insects.

The Sumerians in 2000 BC made the first records of its use medicinally, and the ancient Greeks and Romans used it similarly, although they probably didn’t cultivate it, but rather gathered it from the wild. Dioscorides and Pliny the Elder both mention capers as a marketable commodity. I found one Biblical reference to abiyyohah, the fruit of the caper tree. Known in the ancient world from Asia to Morocco, caper seeds have been found in Bruges, Belgium, dating from between 1200 and 1495 AD—an earlier date in this region than previously thought. Bruges was an important trading center at the time, and this would have likely represented a wealthy district with imported foods. By mid-17th century, capers were being brought into the UK from southern Europe. Substitutes were pickled buds of the broom, the nasturtium, and of the marsh marigold.

Medical uses include reduction of flatulence, as an anti-rheumatic, and for improvement of liver function. It has been reported to be used as a diuretic, vermifuge, and tonic. Decoctions from the root bark have been used in traditional medicines for dropsy, anemia, arthritis and gout. One of the reasons for its effectiveness for these purposes may be the fact that the plant contains the anti-oxidant bioflavinoid rutin (the same chemical that gives the herb rue its name) which also contributes to the flavor.

Another, non-medical, use is to burn the roots and use the ash as a source of salt. There has been use made of caper extracts and pulp in cosmetics, but there have also been associated reports of contact dermatitis with their use—not recommended! Capers have been used as flavoring for centuries, but in addition to being a zesty addition to food dishes, there were also the beliefs that it would bring good luck, promote lustful feelings, and cure impotency in men.

Tender young shoots and the immature fruits may be used as a vegetable or pickled. For our purposes, the immature buds will be the most important. These are pickled in vinegar or are layered in salt to preserve them, then packed in glass jars for sale. The smallest buds, called "nonpareilles” or "surfines”, are considered the best, better than the larger "communes” or "capucines.” Rinse before using, and then be careful about the amount of salt used in your recipe. The flavor can be described as similar to mustard and black pepper. In fact, mustard oil is contained in the plant tissues, released when crushed. Use capers wherever you wish to add piquancy to an otherwise bland dish (especially fish or veal).

Most of my recipes are for sauces, but capers are used, understandably, in much Mediterranean cookery along with olives, arugula, anchovies and artichokes. Think of such recipes as pizza, spaghetti sauce, fish, meats, and salads. Add capers to a browned butter sauce for meat. I recently had a delicious appetizer of shrimp balls with mint-caper tartar sauce at Milo’s in Urbana; courtesy of the owner, I can share the sauce recipe with you.

Shortly after agreeing to take capers as my subject, I ran across a description which was also a mini-recipe. In a book set in Scotland, a couple in their bed was cuddled together against the winter cold "like a cocktail shrimp round a caper.” Several toothpicksful of shrimps and capers later, I decided it would have been better with cocktail sauce, but it’s still a lovely image.

Grown in California and other western states as an ornamental, the caperbush is a low, mounding shrub which blooms from May to September—unless one pickles the buds first, of course. Stems are arching and reddish with rounded dark-green semi-succulent leaves, and the flowers are pinkish-white with long lavender stamens. Other flower colors are available in named varieties.

The plants are best grown in conditions similar to their home range—in other words, in poor, gravelly soil in strong sun. Although it will make a bush on level ground, it will also scramble along a wall or grade, with an extensive root system that makes it ideal for reclaiming or maintaining soil and for conserving water.

Seeds are very tiny and should be soaked for a day in warm water, wrapped in a moist cloth and refrigerated for two to three months, soaked overnight in warm water and then planted one cm deep in loose, well-drained soil. Alternatively, use stem cuttings taken in late winter/early spring and place in light soil with bottom heat. For caper production, the plants are spaced six or seven feet apart and pruned heavily. Full production isn’t expected for three to four years. Blooms arise on one-year-old branches.

I will leave you with this description from the island of Cyprus, entitled "Wild Flowers."

As summer advances and the Land becomes parched, Thristles provide much of the colour, flowering in pale yellow, purple, pink, royal blue and bronze. Also the local Thyme with its stiff twigged aromatic hummocks; the thorny Caper bush with their swirl of purple stamens scenting the evening air; Myrthles growing along the valleys full of pink flowers; Oleander bushes, feathery Tamarisk, pungent Lentisc and Terbinth are in full blossom during the long rainless Summer.

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