Capparis spinosa

Capers

Family Capparidaceae

Capparis spinosa, capers, is a shrub with prickly stems and alternate, thick and more or less round leaves (Capparidaceae 2), native to the Mediterranean region. Flowers with 4 pinkish petals and numerous stamens; the fruit is a berry.

Use
Capers are the unopened flower buds(C. spinosa 1), which are pickled and used in sauces and herb butter. The characteristic flavour develops during processing the buds. The use of capers dates back for times immemorial. Other species of the genus Capparis are also used for this purpose.

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