gourmet food: Mustapha's Moroccan Medium Capers

gourmet food: Mustapha's Moroccan Medium Capers

gourmet food:

Mustapha's Morocca...

	Mustapha's Moroccan Medium Capers Haddouch Gourmet, Inc. Haddouch Gourmet, Inc. view larger image
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Capers, the flower bud of a Mediterranean shrub are a very versatile ingredient, condiment, flavor, and tradition. Their flavor, when cured in brine, tends to be reminiscent of a cornichon or gherkin. They are vibrant, aromatic with just the right balance of salt. Many people prefer medium capers because they have more impressive visual appeal and a milder flavor. Caper flower buds grow quickly, and they are small enough to be classified this size for only a very short time. Varieties are selected for flavor and for the roundness and firmness of the buds. Most capers are packed in vinegar, and this imparts a pickled flavor to them - as a result, the tangy finish tends to dominate the flavor of the aromatic caper. Mustapha cures his capers in salt brine, and then packs them in saltwater with just a tiny amount of vinegar. The result is a deep aromatic, salty flavor with a hint of a tang on the finish. These brined capers are perfect for use with rich foods such as salmon or in rich sauces. The caper bush is a spiny, straggling vine-like shrub that grows well in nutrient poor, gravelly soils, and is often found growing in crevices between rocks. Capers are the flower buds from this plant. A freshly picked caper is a bland little thing. That fabulously vibrant, piquant flavor comes from the curing process. Their salty, aromatic flavor makes them an important ingredient to sauces like tartar, ravigote and rèmoulade and most tapenade recipes. There is no better condiment for smoked or cured salmon. Caper bushes grow wild around the Mediterranean, flourishing in the same climates as olives, and in fact, we have come to recognize the flavor of a caper as classic Mediterranean. They are cultivated and collected in their natural range - in Spain, the south of France, Italy, Dalmatia, Greece, Algeria, Egypt, Tunisia, and especially Morocco.

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