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Capers Pickled in Vinegar

A method of preserving small capers by covering them with cold boiled vinegar and tarragon, then sealing and storing for several weeks.

From an old cookbook · modernised transcription
From a historical cookbook (Internet Archive) · 3 ingredients
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Why it works: Capers and tarragon match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 379 recipes. Both carry coumarin, which smells sweet, hay. The science ↓

Capers Pickled in Vinegar

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Select small capers of the same size, discarding any that are developed.

  2. Remove the stems from the capers and place them in jars or bottles.

Pickle

  1. Cover the capers with cold boiled vinegar.

  2. Add a sprig of tarragon to each bottle for flavor.

  3. Seal the bottles tightly and let them sit for 3 to 4 weeks before using.

Recipe from a historical cookbook (Internet Archive).

Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Capers + tarragontop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together379 recipes

    Shared aroma: coumarin (sweet, hay).

  2. Vinegar + tarragontop 7% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,547 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

  3. Capers + vinegartop 16% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together1,453 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Capers
Provide the main briny, tangy flavor and firm texture of the finished pickle.
Cold boiled vinegar
Acidity preserves the capers and gives them their sharp, sour taste.
Tarragon sprigs
Add a light anise-like aroma that flavors the pickling liquid and capers.

The step that matters

Cover the capers fully with vinegar. Capers must stay submerged in the acidic vinegar. Exposed parts are not protected by the acid and can spoil or grow mold, so the sealed jars should hold all the capers under the liquid.

Swap the capers

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (vinegar, tarragon):

  1. Dillfits better
  2. Marjoramfits about as well
  3. Capersthe original
  4. Parsleyfits about as well

Fit is the average pairing score against vinegar, tarragon. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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