In fact, what we used to see on the shelves of shops in bright jars is just not yet opened bud, painted, as a rule, in a dark olive color and resembling a small berry in shape.
But the caper itself is a rather interesting plant, its history goes back deeply into the past. To use the flavoring qualities of capers, and later the healing properties, people began very, very long time ago - for the first time they are mentioned in the "Legend of Gilgamesh", a reliable source and a well-known literary monument to the whole world.
The origin of such a name for this prickly healer gives rise to many conjectures and legends. One, seemingly most realistic, says that the caper gave his name to the island of Cyprus, on which he grew in abundance, because in Greek the name of the island sounds like "Kipros". Of course, there is some truth in this conjecture, but it should also be taken into account that the caper grew in the Caucasus, and in Asia in its central part, and in the Crimea. Thus, this conjecture is subject to great doubt on the part of scientists.
By the way, it is not surprising that the caper spread over such a vast territory with completely diverse climatic conditions. This is easily explained by the unpretentiousness of the plant: it is able to dwell even on smooth stones, rocks, stone slabs. This bush blossoms throughout the summer, and all this time bees feed on its nectar. But the birds still have to eat only small berries, but they have enough, they revere these berries for the greatest delicacy on earth.
The role of capers in medicine was fully appreciated only recently, before that people used this plant and as an additive to food. However, some peoples passed from generation to generation some recipes of broths and infusions from the caper. For example, the ancient Greeks treated joint diseases with the help of buds of this shrub - the same capers that are now widely used in cooking.
The peoples who inhabited the Caucasus firmly knew that the bark of the caper helps with rheumatism and back pain.
In Central Asia, the use of capers for medicinal purposes has been actively practiced, in particular to treat a disease such as goiter. The juice, squeezed out of buds, was diluted in the necessary proportion with water and taken this medicine several times a day. By the way, these people intuitively picked up the right remedy, because in the fruits of the plant there is a huge amount of iodine.
Useful properties of capers are not only in the high content of iodine in them, but also the high level of vitamins of groups A, B, C, E and K. They are also rich in calcium, magnesium, selenium, phosphorus and iron. But girls, crazy on different diets, do not be afraid of this harmless treat: it is very low in calorie: in 100 grams of the product contains only 23 calories.
Therefore, even now different parts of the capers are used in alternative medicine for the treatment of various diseases even today. For example, sorcerers and healers are advised to use juice of capers against wounds that do not heal for a long time. From diabetes today, you can easily get rid of if you drink regularly infusion or decoction of young twigs and leaves of this healing plant.
You suffer from diseases of the gums and the mouth - this is also not a problem, it is only necessary to take the habit of chewing the freshly picked bark of the caper, and the disease will go away by itself.
Increased blood pressure is well cured by decoction from the bark, roots and colors of the capers, probably because of their routine.
Many national recipes justify themselves, it has long been proven by scientific facts and research. So, for example, a large content of capersin quercetin favorably affects the skin, removing irritations from allergies. In addition, capers reduce the risk of oncological diseases, thanks to the same quercetin. This complex process is, in a nutshell, explained by the fact that quercetin helps the body to keep in order the structure of DNA, which tends to destroy such a disease. Thus, the old habit of taking capers to all women really has a real basis.
For the sake of justice, it should be noted that this quercetin, useful for the body, is contained in apples and raspberries, but in the cupper it is contained several times more.
Very often, experts recommend taking capers before meals, if a person suffers from a lack of appetite. Even the shortest course of treatment brings rich results.
However, capers are known primarily not for their amazing medicinal properties. First of all, it is appreciated for its taste qualities.
To add capers to food, people started from the earliest times - this is confirmed by old books with culinary recipes. Even then people realized that fresh capers have not too pleasant, even slightly bitter taste, but simple processing removes bitterness and makes the dish incredibly tasty.
As a rule, capers are either salted or marinated; in this form they are able to give a stunningly piquant taste to meat dishes, fish; light flavor of this flavoring makes the taste of salads, sauces and marinades unforgettable.
According to ancient recipes, adding capers to the dish is the finishing touch. Sometimes even capers can replace salt, as, for example, in borscht or solianka.
Fantasy of cooks and cooks in the use and combination of capers with other products does not know how to hold, here you can experiment for an infinitely long time. However, some products have already proven themselves as very harmoniously combined with this additive: it is primarily chicken, lamb, beef, celery, sweet pepper, cheese, pasta, and much, much more.
However, the classics of the genre are salads with capers: these little buds are added to the salad piquancy, and, of course, vitamins and nutrients.