What are Caperberries? How to Make Delicious Caperberry Relish

Caperberries are the fruits of the caper bush, which has ancient origins and grows in Mediterranean climates like Spain, Italy, Greece, Turkey, and Morocco. The caperberry (also sometimes written as caper berry) is typically pickled in a briny solution to give it that piquant flavor people most associate with capers.

Usually a little more tart than other pickles or brined ingredients, the caperberry can be used in numerous recipes, including salads, sandwiches, pastas, and condiments. And it is generally healthy: long used in folk medicines, caperberry benefits include anti-inflammatory properties and an abundance of antioxidants, according to chef Nancy Silverton.

What’s the difference between caperberries and capers, you might ask? The answer: while they come from the same Mediterranean plant, the Capparis spinosa bush, they’re not the same thing. Caperberries are the unopened mature flower buds of the caper bush (they contain seeds).

These fruits resemble miniature figs and are similar in size to olives and grapes. Capers, in contrast, are much smaller because they are harvested, as tiny unbloomed flower buds, much earlier than large caperberries are (capers do not contain seeds). Both, however, can be liquid-brined and preserved for later use in all types of food, from sauces and salad dressings to pasta, fish, and chicken, like a delicious chicken piccata dish.

Caperberries have a salty, sour flavor with a slight crunchy texture, a consequence of the edible seeds inside. They can be used as a garnish or prepared in salads, sandwiches, sauces, and condiments, like Nancy’s caperberry relish (see recipe below).

Capers, meanwhile, tend to be saltier with a more pungent flavor and a stronger bite. If you buy salt-preserved capers, it’s best to first soak them in cold water to get rid of the excess salt. For brined capers and caperberries, just place them in a colander and run them under cold water. As Nancy explains in her class, capers don’t necessarily need to be chopped because they are already tiny, but caperberries should be sliced thinly into halves.

At your supermarket, search for capers in the condiments section, near the pickles. Two types of capers you might want to search for are salt-packed capers and vinegar-pickled capers, which have only subtle differences in flavor, and if you visit a quality deli, specialty store, or Mediterranean market, you’ll probably find jarred caperberries, too.

Some specialty grocers also sell capers and caperberries online. Nancy prefers the salt-preserved capers as well as pickled caperberries, both of which are from Spain. Jars of capers and caperberries can be stored in your pantry, and, once they’re opened, moved into the fridge, where they can last for up to a year.

Both capers and caperberries are great in relish and sauce. They’re essential ingredients in Nancy’s cooking, as seen in her Quattro Condimenti recipe. In it, she prepares a delectable spread just like the caperberry relish that’s made at the legendary Mozzarella Bar of Osteria Mozza, Nancy’s Los Angeles restaurant.

In her class demonstrating this caperberry recipe, Silverton serves the dish alongside condiments like salsa romesco, basil pesto, black olive tapenade, and fett’unta, which is grilled bread smothered in olive oil. Capers and caperberries can also pair wonderfully with a smoked salmon and cream cheese bagel, can add loads of flavor to a buttery lemon sauce for grilled fish, and can even improve the classic martini used in place of olives. We also love the addition of tart, crunchy caperberry slices into potato salads, pizzas, creamy pastas, and roasted chicken.