Day 20: Capers from Renoir

Capers are a truly decadent treat. Crunchy, briny, flowery, and if you think listen carefully enough, you hear just a faint breeze of the ocean in every morsel. And so it is no surprise that these little treats go so well with seafood... a common application of these is on top of smoked salmon, the saltiness of both complementing each other. You'll also see it as a flavouring ingredient in tomato sauces, and is a key ingredient in the familiar tartar sauce.

This bottle of Renoir Non pareilles (i.e. the smallest, and also typically the most expensive) cost me a little over $2.00 including tax, and the flavour was underwhelming. All in all, I would have to try them side-by-side with another brand to be more critical. What I should try is the caper in a salt which some say is superior to those in brine (such as the one featured in this article)

The following is a paragraph from wikipedia on capers:

"Capparis spinosa, the caper bush, is a perennial winter-deciduous species that bears rounded, fleshy leaves and large white to pinkish-white flowers. A caper is also the pickled bud of this plant. 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. Capers are categorized and sold by their size, defined as follows, with the smallest sizes being the most desirable: Non-pareil (up to 7 mm), surfines (7–8 mm), capucines (8–9 mm), capotes (9–11 mm), fines (11–13 mm), and grusas (14+ mm).If the caper bud is not picked, it flowers and produces a fruit called a caperberry."