Capers, used in such culinary delights as chicken piccata and smoked salmon, may be small. But they are an unexpectedly big source of natural antioxidants that show promise for fighting cancer and heart disease when added to meals, particularly meats, researchers in Italy are reporting.
Their laboratory study involved adding caper extracts to grilled ground-turkey, and analyzing byproducts formed during simulated digestion. The scientists found that caper-extract helped prevent the formation of certain byproducts of digested meat that have been linked by others to an increased risk of cancer and heart disease. That beneficial effect occurred even with the small amounts of caper typically used to flavor food.
“Caper may have beneficial health effects, especially for people whose meals are rich in fats and red meats,” the study concluded.
What you usually find in American markets are capers packed in oil and/or brine. The real deal are only packed in salt. Soak them in cold water to remove the salt – and you’ll discover a delicate, fresh flavor.
And they’re good for you.
Go fine with broccoli.
Perfect on pizza (with anchovis)
There’s nothing like a nice piece of salmon roasted over an oak fire smothered in lemon-butter sauce and lots of capers. <slobber>
The flavor reminds of soldering rosin burning.. YUCK!!
😛
Expect to see Capers as natural supplements.
Follow it with a good glass of pomegranate juice.
#6 – Pomegranate juice is so last week! Now it’s that Noni juice stuff you buy at Costco. Next week it’ll be caper extract marketed as “Caper Berry Blast!”
Anti-oxidants fighting cancer is over-hyped and in some forms of cancer, may even be harmful, for example by saving cancers from death in low-oxygen conditions which can be a feature of fast-growing cell masses.