What are capers and how to use them?

What are capers and how to use them?
What are capers and how to use them?
Anonim

What chefs do to impress sophisticated gourmets: they mix s alty and sweet, add unusual ingredients and strong spices to dishes. The latter include capers.

what are capers
what are capers

What are capers? Let's take a closer look

Capers are one of the most ancient spices in the world. She was first mentioned in the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh. It is the unopened buds of a shrub known as the caper. It is distributed in the Mediterranean, Central Asia and North Africa. This plant can also be found in the Southern Crimea.

capers it
capers it

Caper buds are rich in protein (25%) and contain very little fat (3%). They also contain iodine, magnesium, calcium, organic acids, fiber and vitamins A, B, C, E. At the same time, they are a low-calorie product (23 kcal per 100 g). In this regard, everyone who is on a diet should definitely know what capers are. After all, this product has many useful properties. Capers are diuretic and choleretic, and also stimulate digestion and improve appetite.

In ancient times, this spice was often used as a medicine. In particular, a decoction ofroots served as an anesthetic, and a decoction of flowers was used to strengthen the heart system and heal wounds. Capers were used to make medicines for toothache and thyroid diseases. Modern medical research has confirmed that the fresh parts of the plant have analgesic, aseptic and astringent properties. As a rule, capers are not cooked, so they retain most of the valuable substances.

How to use capers?

They are quite often used in Mediterranean cuisine. But we should not forget that fresh caper buds are bitter and tasteless. They acquire their special taste after several months of special processing. It is customary to pickle or pickle them, as a result of which they acquire a specific spicy taste, which is a bit like mustard.

To fully understand what capers are, it is worth adding them to some dishes. This seasoning pairs well with:

delicious meals
delicious meals
  • cheese (feta, mozzarella, cheese);
  • olives;
  • meat (chicken, beef, lamb);
  • seafood;
  • s alted and smoked fish;
  • pasta;
  • bow;
  • sweet pepper;
  • tomatoes;
  • eggs;
  • olive and butter;
  • celery;
  • green.

S alted or pickled capers can be added to an already prepared dish. They are also suitable for sauces, for example, for tartar. Capers diversify delicious dishes. For example, hodgepodge, pizza or salad fromseafood.

What are capers, lovers of Olivier salad must know. After all, this product was an integral ingredient in the original recipe for this dish. When added to dishes, capers are finely chopped or ground. On average, one serving will require 1 teaspoon of spice. Although this dose can be changed. But it is worth remembering that salads with capers become even tastier the next day. Mediterranean chefs recommend starting dinner with capers, chewing them to stimulate the appetite.

Recommended: