can some one explain to me what type of food capers are and how they are commonly cooked and served?

Here is link from wikipedia that has everything you need to know about capers:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caper

Hi Warren,

A caper is also the pickled bud of a plant. The bush is native to the Mediterranean region, growing wild on walls or in rocky coastal areas throughout. The plant is best known for the edible bud and fruit (caper berry) which are usually consumed pickled.

The buds, when ready to pick, are a dark olive green and about the size of a kernel of corn. They are picked, then pickled in salt, or a salt and vinegar solution, or drained. Intense flavor is developed, as mustard oil (glucocapparin) is released from each caper bud. This enzymatic reaction also leads to the formation of rutin often seen as crystallized white spots on the surfaces of individual caper buds.

Capers are a distinctive ingredient in Italian cuisine, especially in Sicilian and southern Italian cooking. They are commonly used in salads, pasta salads, pizzas, meat dishes and pasta sauces. Examples of uses in Italian cuisine are chicken piccata and salsa puttanesca.

Capers are also known for being one of the ingredients of tartar sauce. They are also often served with cold smoked salmon or cured salmon dishes (especially lox and cream cheese). Capers are also sometimes substituted for olives to garnish a martini.

I use them a lot the juice add a pizazz to deviled eggs and several other things you can find them in the specialty section in your grocery store or near the pickles I really like them! Great question!

capers are the bud of a plant found usually in the mediterrean

it can only be picked off of certain plants at night and only during a full moon when it blooms

JUST KIDDING

lol

they are a bud that is picked tho, and pickled. the smaller ones are the most flavorfull, non parielle.

they are used in salads, and tomato sauces, as well as other white wine sauces, and with seafood, chicken and veal dishes and pasta.....basically in italian cooking.

i ALWAYS have at least a quarter pound here at home to cook with.

here is what they look like: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caper

i cook a lot with them.

they are rather salty, so don't add salt when you cook with them.

here's a dish of mine that i always use capers for: http://doreenskitchen.com/BakedPoachedSalmon.html

you might have heard of others

putenesca (tomato base with pasta and anchovies)

picatta (chicken or veal)

olives and capers (usually with pasta in a tomato sauce with kalamata (greek) pitted black olives)

it is a very versitile seasoning.

the next time you go to an italian restaurant, order something with them in, they are very robust and generously enhance any sauce, or ask if you could just see a few.

eating them raw has a very strong vineagery taste, but sauteeing and baking with them release the sweeter and less tart taste making them much more mild.

i think you'd like them, most people do.

Capers are these little things, honestly I don't know what exactly they are (haha!), but they're very salty. They're used for seasoning. I always eat them on a bagel with cream cheese and some smoked salmon. It's delicious. :)

I don't like them and don't use them, but bought them once in order to do a recipe. They don't go with very many things and are very strong in flavor. They are little round greenish things that are about the size of a peppercorn. They are used in some kinds of salads for instance.