Ingredients
Capers
- 400 gcaper shoots with buds and leaves attached
- cold water, for the daily changes
Pickle
- 300 mlwhite wine vinegar
- 200 mlwater
- 2 tbspcoarse non-iodised salt
- 1 tspblack peppercorns
- olive oil, to seal
To serve
- olive oil and lemon
- as part of a meze
Directions
- Pick the shoots in spring while the buds are still tight and the stems still tender enough to snap. Once the buds have opened into flowers the shoots are woody and no good.
- Rinse well and pick over for grit — they grow on stone walls and carry a surprising amount of it.
- Cover with cold water and leave at room temperature, changing the water completely every day for about a week. Raw capers are intensely bitter from glucosinolates, and the daily changes are what carry that away.
- Taste a bud from the fifth day. When the bitterness has softened to something pleasant, drain them.
- Bring the vinegar, water, salt and peppercorns to a boil, then let it cool completely. Hot pickle poured over capers turns them limp.
- Pack the drained shoots into a clean jar, pour over the cold pickle so they are submerged, and float a little olive oil on top to seal.
- Leave two weeks before eating. They keep a year in a cool cupboard, and improve for the first few months.
- Serve with olive oil and lemon as part of a meze.
Technique
- Change the water every day. This is a bitter plant and a rushed batch is inedible.
- Pick the whole shoot, not just the buds — the stems and small leaves are the point of the Cypriot version, and they are as good as the buds.
- Wear long sleeves. Wild caper stems carry small thorns.
Substitutions
- Buds alone, if that is what you can find, prepared identically.
- A salt-cure instead of vinegar: layer in coarse salt for a month, then rinse before use.
Variations
- Caper berries — the fruit that follows the flower — are pickled the same way and are milder.
- Some households add a chilli and a few coriander seeds to the jar.
History
Gathered wild from Cypriot stone walls in spring and jarred whole with the stems attached.
Frequently asked questions
What is Kappari?
Kappari is a fermented & pickled from Cyprus: caper shoots and buds pickled in brine and vinegar, eaten as meze. Gathered wild from Cypriot stone walls in spring and jarred whole with the stems attached.
How long does Kappari take to make?
Kappari takes 30 min plus 7 days de-bittering of preparation and 10 min of cooking. The recipe makes fills a 500 ml jar. It is rated easy to make.
What can I substitute in Kappari?
Yes, within limits. Buds alone, if that is what you can find, prepared identically. A salt-cure instead of vinegar: layer in coarse salt for a month, then rinse before use.
What is the most important thing to get right in Kappari?
Pick the whole shoot, not just the buds — the stems and small leaves are the point of the Cypriot version, and they are as good as the buds.
