Capers

Chora is overgrown with capers.

The capers (Capparis spinosa & Capparis sicula) are endemic and synonymoys with the Greek islands. Caper bushes grow on slopes, while they adorn narrow alleys in villages and hang on rocks and rubbles.

A traditional appetizer, it is a key secret of the Mediterranean diet and insular cuisine.  In Kythera, it gives intensity to “vrechtoladea” (local dakos-type salad) and caper salad. The caper buds, the tender sprouts with caper leaves, and the fruits (berries) are harvested towards the end of spring, then processed to become less bitter and pickled in several variations. In Kythera, the small thorns on the shoots of the capers are tenderer than in other islands, thus rendering caper leaves more palatable. Caper stimulates the body and it has been used since antiquity for its healing properties.