IngredientsPreserves
Kaperncapers
The closed flower buds of the caper bush, Capparis spinosa, picked before they open and preserved in salt or brine.
Raw they are inedible. The curing is what makes the salty, sour note that defines them.
In der Küchein the kitchen
Königsberger Klopse stand or fall on them: the pale sauce takes its whole edge from capers and their brine.
They also belong in remoulade and alongside cold roast meat. Do not boil them; add them near the end or they lose their note.
Kaufenwhere to buy
Alcaparras are in supermarkets and gourmet shops, in jars of brine or dry in salt.
Alcaparrones are not the same: those are the fruit, large and on a stalk. Klopse and remoulade need the small buds.
Vorsichtcareful
Salt-packed capers have to be soaked or they will oversalt the sauce. Brined ones only get a rinse.
Throwing the brine away is a mistake: a spoonful of it in Klopse sauce gives an acidity no vinegar hits the same way.