Capers - Capers in vinegar

Caper berries in vinegar from Murcia, Spain

Caper berries are the fruits of the caper bush, not its buds. They are harvested with the stem, pickled in a salt-and-vinegar brine, and eaten like olives rather than used as a spice. These ones come from Almendricos in Murcia, where the bush grows without irrigation.

The caper berries in vinegar from Alcaparras Asensio Sanchez come from the southern Spanish region of Murcia. Four ingredients are listed on the label: caper berries, water, salt, and vinegar. The brine removes the fruit's bitterness and adds a subtle acidity, making them perfect to eat straight from the jar. The stem remains attached, which is more practical than it looks.

Why the berry has a stem

Caper berries, also known as caper apples, grow from the blossoms that were allowed to remain on the bush.

Anyone picking the closed bud harvests the small caper, which is used as a spice in sauces and broths. If the bud is left on the branch, however, it opens into a white flower, is pollinated, and grows into a fruit. This is harvested together with the stem by which it was attached to the bush, and that is exactly what you hold on to later.

In the jar, the berries lie packed tightly in the brine, olive-green, plump, and with a light longitudinal grain from the stem base to the tip. On the tongue, they are crunchy, sour, and salty all at once. Their bite is firmer than that of an olive and softer than that of a gherkin, and the small seeds inside are eaten along with the fruit.

Salt and vinegar instead of preservatives

The caper berry goes into the jar without any preservatives because salt and vinegar do the work alone.

In Almendricos, the fruits are sorted by size after harvesting, washed, and placed in the brine. There, they lose their raw edge over weeks and absorb the acidity. What starts as a bitter, tart fruit from the bush becomes mild enough for pure enjoyment, while retaining the herbal note peculiar to capers.

They are sorted by size, from the delicate Fino to the robust Gordo, and only one size grade goes into each jar. This ensures that the berries cure evenly and present a uniform appearance when opened.

The company has been working with this fruit for four generations and is internationally known for the soft texture of its caper apples. You can read more about the family on the Alcaparras Asensio Sanchez page.

From aperitif to Vitello tonnato

Caper berries are used differently than small capers; they don't season, they are eaten.

Lifted from the jar by the stem, these caper berries in vinegar belong on an appetizer platter just like olives and almonds; in Spain, they are skewered with olives and chili peppers on the "Gilda" pintxo. Sliced into a salad, they provide acidity; paired with cold roasts or thinly sliced veal, they are a classic accompaniment, such as in Vitello tonnato. You can find suitable pairings under Antipasti and Mediterranean specialties.

They also hold their own in stews and Sicilian caponata because they do not fall apart during cooking. If you want to distribute them more finely, slice them lengthwise into strips and add them just before serving.

Once opened, the jar will keep in the refrigerator for several weeks, provided the brine covers all the berries. If one sticks out, it will dry out, which is why it is worth taking a moment to use a spoon. Further jars of this type can be found in the Capers and Caper Apples category.

370 g net weight – 180 g drained weight