Capers are actually pickled flower buds of the caper bush. A characteristic of the caper bush is that it grows in rocky areas, where its roots can reach up to 10 meters deep into infertile soil. It has delicate white or pink flowers, but they only blossom for a few hours, so harvesting capers is quite a science. Capers are most often pickled in vinegar, oil, or brine.

Although capers were already known to the ancient Greeks and Romans, their true homeland is Asia. They only spread through the Mediterranean in the 14th century, when they became a popular spice to food in Genoa, Florence, and Venice. Capers' popularity continued to rise until the 18th century, but in the last decades we have almost completely forgotten about them.

Healing Effects

85% of capers is water, but the remainder is full of healing components. There is an exceptionally high amount of vitamins A and C (protecting the skin from aging, positively affecting the appearance of hair and nails, strengthening eyesight, the immune system ...), but the most important are the flavonoids, which, among other things, strengthen blood vessels and help with eye inflammations.

Capers are highly alkaline and reduce the acidity of the body. Because of this, they are good for rheumatism, boost mucus excretion, regulate digestion, but the downside is that they stimulate appetite.

The antioxidants in capers neutralize harmful byproducts produced during the digestion of meat, especially red meat. That is why they should be added to every meat dish.

They also act antifungal and anti-inflammatory, protect the liver, and in some parts of the world are used to lower blood sugar. Research has shown that capers are high in lectin, which binds sugar and carbohydrates, and is also a very effective substance in the fight against liver, colon, and breast cancer.

Of course, official medicine warns that capers can also be harmful, especially for diabetics. If you take medication and eat large amounts of capers, your blood sugar can drop below recommended levels. Capers also lower blood pressure, which can, in patients taking medication for lowering it, lead to a situation where your pressure drops too much. Capers are also a diuretic and caution is needed in cases of dehydration.

And there's one more property of capers we must not forget: today many fish and other seafood products are contaminated with heavy metals and toxins from the environment. Capers help the body not only neutralize these toxins, but also remove them from the body.