Capers 4-5mm Bonomo and Giglio in Extra Virgin olive oil from Pantelleria. The capers from Pantelleria, an Italian Island off the coast Sicily are a unique flavour. They are the only capers to have an IGP protection.  Capers are grown all over the mediterranean but here on the beautiful rocky island of Pantelleria they grow in volcanic soil, deepening their wonderful pungent and piquant character.  Caper plants are very low growing and picking capers is labour intensive and hard on the back. The season begins around May continuing on to around September. Capers are the bud of the bush, left intact this would grow into a flower and later a fruit ( the Caperberry). The little buds are pinched off a number of times in a season. If the bushes are  not left to flower then the buds will continue to form. The buds are cured in salt and allowed to ferment forming natural lactic acid for up to 25 days. After this they are packed in salt or cleaned and stored in vinegar or olive oil.

The 950 gm jar of capers in oil, are extra special due to the fact they dont need to be washed or soaked before use. The oil , intensely caper flavoured, can also be used in dressings, salsas and purees bruschettas and cooking. The tinier the caper the crunchier it’s texture and these are some of the smallest. As they grow larger the buds start to unravel and so the caper is a little softer. These of course are great for frying as they open into a beautiful flower like bud, that is salty and crunchy and great with soft textured foods. See our capers in salt 9mm