Dictionary:

caper¹

  (kā'pər)

1. A playful leap or hop.
2. A frivolous escapade or prank.
3. Slang. An illegal plot or enterprise, especially one involving theft.

To leap or frisk about; frolic.

[Alteration of CAPRIOLE.]

1. A usually spiny Mediterranean shrub (Capparis spinosa) having white to pale lilac flowers and dehiscent fruits with reddish pulp.
2. A pickled flower bud of this plant, used as a pungent condiment in sauces, relishes, and various other dishes.

[Middle English caperis, capar, from Latin capparis, from Greek kapparis.]

Unopened flower buds of the subtropical shrub Capparis spinosa or C. inermis with a peppery flavour; used in pickles and sauces. Unripe seeds of the nasturtium (Tropaeolum majus) can be pickled and used as a substitute.

[KAY-per] The flower bud of a bush native to the Mediterranean and parts of Asia. The small buds are picked, sun-dried and then pickled in a vinegar brine. Capers range in size from the petite nonpareil variety from southern France (considered the finest), to those from Italy, which can be as large as the tip of your little finger. There are also the Spanish-imported stemmed caperberries that are about the size of a cocktail olive. Capers are generally packed in brine but can also be found salted and sold in bulk. Capers should be rinsed before using to remove excess salt. The pungent flavor of capers lends piquancy to many sauces and condiments; they're also used as a garnish for meat and vegetable dishes.

noun

A mischievous act: antic, frolic, joke, lark, prank, trick. Informal shenanigan. Slang monkeyshine (often used in plural). See good/bad, work/play.

verb

To leap and skip about playfully: cavort, dance, frisk, frolic, gambol, rollick, romp. See work/play.

For more information on caper, visit Britannica.com.

Tutor's tip: The "capper" (something that tops an item or event) was when the old man cut a "caper" (joyful play) for sheer happiness.

Caper
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Brassicales Family: Capparaceae Genus: Capparis Species: C. spinosa
Binomial name
Capparis spinosa Linnaeus, 1753

For Australian native Capparis spinosa ssp nummularia, see Caperbush.

For the literary genre, see caper story.

For the movie genre, see big caper movie.

The caper (Capparis spinosa L.) is a perennial spiny shrub that bears rounded, fleshy leaves and big white to pinkish-white flowers. A caper is also the pickled bud of this 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. Other species of Capparis are also picked along with C. spinosa for their buds or fruits.

The plant

Capparis spinosa is highly variable in nature in its native habitats and is found growing near the closely related species C. sicula, C. orientalis, and C. aegyptia. Scientists can use the known distributions of each species to identify the origin of commercially prepared capers.^[1][2]

The shrubby plant is many-branched, with alternate leaves, thick and shiny, round to ovate in shape. The flowers are complete, showy, with four sepals, and four white to pinkish-white petals, many long violet-colored stamens, and a single stigma usually rising well above the stamens.^[3]

Culinary Uses

Salted capers.

Pickled Capers in a jar

Capers, prepared Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 20 kcal   100 kJ
Carbohydrates     5 g - Sugars  0.4 g - Dietary fibre  3 g   Fat 0.9 g Protein 2 g Vitamin C  4 mg 7% Iron  1.7 mg 14% Sodium  2960 mg 197%
Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient database

The salted and pickled caper bud (also called caper) is often used as a seasoning or garnish. Capers are a common ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine. The grown fruit of the caper shrub is also used, and prepared similarly to the buds to be used as caper berries.

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.

Capers are a distinctive ingredient in Sicilian and Southern Italian cooking, used in salads, pizzas, meat dishes and pasta sauces. Examples of uses in Italian cuisine are Chicken piccata and Salsa puttanesca. 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.

Capers are categorized and sold by their size, defined as follows, with the smallest sizes being the most desirable: Non-pareil (0-7 mm), surfines (7-8 mm), capucines (8-9 mm), capotes (9-11 mm), fines (11-13 mm), and grusas (14+ mm).

Unripe nasturtium seeds can be substituted for capers; they have a very similar texture and flavour when pickled.

Medicinal Uses

In Greek popular medicine a herbal tea made of caper root and young shoots is considered to be beneficial against rheumatism. Dioscoride (MM 2.204t) also provides instructions on the use of sprouts, roots, leaves and seeds in the treatment of strangury and inflammation.

History

The caper was used in ancient Greece as a carminative. It is represented in archaeological levels in the form of carbonised seeds and rarely as flowerbuds and fruits from archaic and Classical antiquity contexts. Athenaeus in Deipnosophistae pays a lot of attention to the caper, as do Pliny (NH XIX, XLVIII.163) and Theophrastus.^[4]

Capparis spinosa L. by Otto Wilhelm Thomé

The caper-berry is mentioned in the Bible in the book of Ecclesiastes as "avionah" according to modern interpretation of the word.

References

1. ^ Fici, S (October, 2001). "Intraspecific variation and evolutionary trends in Capparis spinosa L. (Capparaceae)". Plant Systematics and Evolution 228 (3-4): 123-141. Springer Wien. DOI:10.1007/s006060170024. Retrieved on 21 November 2006. 
2. ^ Inocencio, C; F Alcaraz, F Calderón, C Obón, D Rivera (April, 2002). "The use of floral characters in Capparis sect. Capparis' to determine the botanical and geographical origin of capers". European Food Research and Technology 214 (4): 335-339. Springer. DOI:10.1007/200217-001-1465-7. Retrieved on 21 November 2006. 
3. ^ Watson, L.; MJ Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The Families of Flowering Plants. Retrieved on 21 November 2006.
4. ^ Fragiska, M. (2005). Wild and Cultivated Vegetables, Herbs and Spices in Greek Antiquity. Environmental Archaeology 10 (1): 73-82

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Capparis spinosa

• Gernot Katzer's Spice Dictionary — Caper
• Caper factsheet — NewCROP, Purdue University
• Article about the capers of Salina Island
• Capparidaceae (alternative name for Capparaceae) in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards). The families of flowering plants.
• Capers, The Flower Inside About Greek capersbe-x-old:Каперсы

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
1.
v. intr. - springe badut
n. - badutspring

idioms:

• cut a caper    springe badutspring, lave numre

2.
n. - kapers, kapersbusk

Nederlands (Dutch)
dartelen, buiteling, kwajongensstreek, karwei

Français (French)
1.
v. intr. - faire des cabrioles, gambader
n. - cabriole, comédie (un film), gambade, astuce, ruse, farce, (US) hold-up (arg)

idioms:

• cut a caper    faire des cabrioles (arch)

2.
n. - (Bot, Culin) câpre, câprier

Deutsch (German)
1.
v. - tollen, Luftsprünge machen, hüpfen
n. - Luftsprung, Schabernack

idioms:

• cut a caper    einen Luftsprung machen

2.
n. - (bot.) Kaper, Kapernstrauch

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - χοροπήδημα, σάλτο, κόλπο, τολμηρό σχέδιο
v. - χοροπηδώ

idioms:

• cut a caper    κάνω τσαλίμια, χοροπηδώ

Italiano (Italian)
far capriole, ruzzare, capriola, ragazzata, monelleria, birichinata

idioms:

• cut a caper    fare una capriola, fare scherzi

Português (Portuguese)
n. - salto (m), alcaparra (f) (Bot.), cambalhota (f), assalto (m) (gír.)
v. - saltar

idioms:

• cut a caper    dar uma cambalhota

Русский (Russian)
скакать, прыжок

idioms:

• cut a caper    кувыркаться, показывать себя

Español (Spanish)
1.
v. intr. - correr y brincar, juguetear
n. - cabriola, travesura

idioms:

• cut a caper    hacer cabriolas, hacer el loco

2.
n. - alcaparra

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - kaprisbuske, glädjesprång, påhitt, brott
v. - göra glädjesprång, hitta på upptåg

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
1. 雀跃, 蹦跳, 恶作剧, 胡闹, 犯罪行为, 抢劫

idioms:

• cut a caper    开玩笑, 跳跳蹦蹦

2. 续随子, 刺山柑, 马槟榔, 腌续随子花蕾

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
1.
n. - 續隨子, 刺山柑, 馬檳榔, 醃續隨子花蕾

2.
n. - 雀躍, 蹦跳, 惡作劇, 胡鬧, 犯罪行為, 搶劫
v. intr. - 雀躍, 蹦跳

idioms:

• cut a caper    開玩笑, 跳跳蹦蹦

한국어 (Korean)
1.
v. intr. - 뛰어 돌아다니다
n. - 뛰어 돌아다님, 장난, 광태

idioms:

• cut a caper    뛰어 돌아다니다, 장난치다

2.
n. - 풍조목속의 관목

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - はねまわること, 狂態, フウチョウボク, ケーパー, ふざけ
v. - はねまわる

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) طفرة, حيله, مزحه (فعل) يتصرف بحماقه, يرقص بمرح‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮קפיצה, ניתור, תעלול, מעשה קונדס, פעילות או עיסוק כלשהם (מדוברת)‬
v. intr. - ‮קיפץ, כרכר, קפצץ‬
n. - ‮צלף (שיח-בר), תבלין מצמח זה‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.