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Hey, this is Robert from the Stuff to Blow Your Mind podcast.

Joe and I are both lifelong Star Wars fan, so we're celebrating May the 4th with a brand

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Join us as we tackle science and culture topics from a galaxy far, far away, such as the

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Welcome to Brain Stuff, a production of IHeartRadio.

Hey, Brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum here.

They may be small, but capers path a big punch when it comes to flavor.

Capers, which are commonly found in Mediterranean dishes, are actually just immature flower buds that are pickled or preserved in salt.

The buds can add a sharp burst of flavor, a bitter, peppery floral, lemony tang to everything from salads and smoked salmon to pasta and chicken peccata.

They may be the cherry on top of classic Mediterranean dishes, but preserve capers need a little care and know-how to use well.

Today, let's talk about how to cook with capers at home, plus a little science and history on this

tiny, flavorful flower bud.

Okay, capers are, yes, immature flower buds of the caper bush, botanical name Caparis Spinosa.

This is a scrambly, thorny sort of evergreen shrub that only grows about three feet or a meter tall, but spreads out a lot.

It's a rocky cliff crevice sort of shrub and commonly grows along the Mediterranean Sea and in

other temperate seaside climates straight through to Central Asia. If you let caper buds bloom

...