Capers - you either love them or hate them but one thing is for sure - most of us don't really know what they are. So, in case you don't...

Capers are the buds - pickled, and often salted, for culinary purposes - of a plant of the same name which originates from Mediterranean countries. The plants have rather pretty white flowers tinged with pink but it is only the buds that is of interest to most people. Sometimes the fully grown fruit are picked and used - known as caper berries - but the buds are more commonly used.

When the buds are pickled and salted they are used primarily as a garnish but are also an essential ingredient in some dishes such as a puttanesca sauce for pasta. They are also used quite often as a garnish for cold fish dishes and in salads but their saltiness means they should be used sparingly - this is one food for which a little goes along way.

My favorite use for a caper? It simply has to be in place of an olive in a well-made Martini - grown-up, sophisticated and just a little different.

Learn more about this author, Fiona Thompson.
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