where do capers come from

Capers come from the unopened flower buds of the caper bush, a shrub known scientifically as Capparis spinosa , which grows mainly around the Mediterranean and in other arid or semi‑arid regions.

Quick Scoop

Capers are picked while they’re still tight little buds, then dried and usually preserved in brine or packed in salt, which is what gives them their salty, tangy punch. The caper bush, sometimes called the Flinders rose, naturally grows along the Mediterranean Sea and nearby dry regions, and has been part of Middle Eastern and European cooking for thousands of years. You’ll now also find cultivated capers in places like parts of Asia and Australia, but “classic” capers on your plate still mostly trace back to Mediterranean-style climates.

A tiny bit of backstory

People have been eating capers since ancient times: archaeologists have found evidence of them in Mediterranean and Mesopotamian sites going back to prehistory, and they show up in ancient Greek, Roman, and biblical texts. Their long history in dishes from Greece, Italy, and the broader Middle East is a big reason why they’re so common today in things like pasta puttanesca, chicken piccata, and bagels with lox.

TL;DR: Capers are pickled flower buds from the caper bush (Capparis spinosa), a plant native to Mediterranean‑type regions, where people have harvested and eaten them for thousands of years.