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Caravaglio - Capers In Olive Oil - 200 g
Regular price $13.49 USDRegular price$18.00 USDSale price $13.49 USDSale
About Caravaglio
- Based in
- Malfa, Salina (Aeolian Islands), Sicily, Italy
- Founded
- late 1980s
- Known for
- organic Aeolian wines and capers
Nino Caravaglio started his farm in Malfa, on the island of Salina, in the late 1980s, and it has practiced certified organic agriculture since 1989. He set out to revive winemaking in the Aeolian Islands with native grapes, and the vineyards now reach across Salina, Lipari, Vulcano and Stromboli. The farm also keeps up the islands' traditional caper crop.
Some of the caper plants grow wild; others are started from cuttings on vineyard edges and steep ground. Volcanic soil, steady wind and very low humidity let them grow without treatments or fertilizers. Picking is done only by hand, from May to August, at dawn and in the late afternoon when it is cool.
Caravaglio packs capers in olive oil and also cures them in whole sea salt from Trapani. Capers are classic spooned over fish, into a tomato salad or onto pizza.
Caravaglio questions
What exactly are capers?
Capers are the unopened flower buds of the caper bush. Their sharp flavor, sometimes compared to mustard or black pepper, develops as they cure in salt or brine, when a compound in the bud is released. Caravaglio rests its Salina buds in the shade after picking, then cures them for about a month in Trapani sea salt. Buds left on the plant open into flowers and then fruit, the larger caper berries.
Does Caravaglio farm organically?
Yes. Nino Caravaglio's farm on Salina has been certified organic since 1989, which means it farms without synthetic pesticides or fertilizers and is inspected to prove it. The caper plants go further and get no treatments or fertilizers at all, since the island's volcanic soil, steady wind and very dry air let them thrive without them. Every bud is picked by hand.
