Capers – Small Capers in Salt

Small salt-cured capers from the island of Salina

Viani Capperi are small flower buds from the island of Salina, preserved in coarse sea salt. Once thoroughly rinsed, they unfold an intense, elegant flavor perfect for classics like Vitello Tonnato or Spaghetti Puttanesca.

The capperi—small capers in salt from the Antonio Viani range—are harvested on the island of Salina. They are preserved in coarse sea salt without any artificial additives and offered in 120 g jars. The salt draws moisture out of the buds, preserving them naturally—a process older than any vinegar marinade. Be sure to rinse them thoroughly before use, otherwise the salt will dominate instead of the actual aroma.

Flower buds, not fruit

Unlike the larger fruits from the same shrub, these small capperi are the still-closed flower buds, hand-picked in the spring while they are small and firm. The plant itself grows as a scraggly bush with fleshy leaves, often emerging from cracks in walls or dry slopes, and blooms repeatedly in short intervals throughout the summer.

The finer the selection, the milder and more elegant the aroma: the smallest grade, known as nonpareilles, measures under 7 mm, while the next size up, surfines, measures between 7 and 8 mm. Viani intentionally chooses these finer sizes because their flavor unfolds most cleanly and they are easier to portion.

Salty, savory, and elegant

It is only through the salt-curing process that the buds develop their characteristic profile: during maturation, caproic acid and mustard oil glycosides form, which together create the typical, savory-salty taste for which the plant has been prized in Mediterranean cuisine for centuries. Raw from the plant, they taste of almost nothing. After rinsing, a flavor remains that is salty, savory, and elegant all at once—intense enough to give dishes an edge without overpowering them.

Vitello Tonnato, Puttanesca, and tartare

These small buds belong in any classic dish that thrives on their savory sharpness: in Vitello Tonnato served over cold veal, in Spaghetti alla Puttanesca along with anchovies and olives, or finely chopped in beef tartare with shallots and egg. They also provide the crucial finishing touch to Königsberger Klopse or as an ingredient in a tuna salad.

Add them only at the end of the cooking time, as heat causes the aroma to dissipate quickly; briefly warming them in the finished sauce is enough to release their flavor without overcooking them. This preserves the salty, savory bite that sets them apart from the milder, larger fruits from the same shrub.

Salina, as with the caper berries

The same plant, the same island: these small buds also come from Salina, where they grow on dry, sunny slopes and are hand-picked multiple times throughout the spring as new buds mature. The long-standing relationship with Sicilian producers includes making this product a staple of the family business’s range—a connection that has grown over decades and is reaffirmed every spring.

Antonio Viani brings them to Germany. You can find the larger, milder, and sweeter fruits of the same plant as Cucunci; more from this category in our Capers & Caper Berries overview; and further items from the Italian range in the Antonio Viani Imports collection. Two sizes from the same plant, two very different roles in the kitchen—one mild and sweet, the other salty and purely concentrated.