Prof. Dr. Neşet Arslan – narslan@agri.ankara.edu.tr
Dollar blooming buds
Scientist Prof. Dr. Faik Yaltırık compared kebere buds to “buds that bloom into dollars” In the May 1995 issue of Atlas magazine.
Capere is a species belonging to the Capparaceae family. The genus Capparis has many species in the world. Capparis species are mostly distributed in tropical/subtropical and temperate climate zones with hot summers, including North Africa, Mediterranean countries and South Asia.
Capparis spinosa L. and Capparis ovata Desf. There are two species, and these two species have a total of five varieties. C. spinosa L. has a bush character that can grow up to 2.5 m, and grows mostly in the Aegean and Mediterranean regions at altitudes up to 600 m above sea level. C. ovata is not very large; It has shoots that grow horizontally and extend up to 2 m. In our country, this species is found in arid and semi-arid regions with low humidity, except for the Black Sea Region, at altitudes up to 1500-2000 m, in sloping, calcareous, poor-nutrient soils, stony and rocky areas, historical ruins, ruins, etc., generally facing south. It grows naturally in many places. The lifespan of the plant can be 30-40 years or more.
It is noteworthy that in our country, the caper plant is called caper, as if it were of foreign origin. We have become a strange society that forgets what belongs to us and then learns from strangers. However, in old sources and dictionaries, it is stated that the Turkish name of the plant is kebere. Caper is the Greek name of the plant, and we call the plant in different regions as cat’s nail, şebellah, gilik, indian cucumber, dog cucumber, dog melon, crow melon, snake gourd, menginik, gevil, yumuk, bugo, bubu, branflower, beri belt, thistle, keper, Names such as gebre, Geber otu, Gavur bostanı are given.
Contrary to popular belief, capere is a plant that has been known and used for a long time and is included in the holy books and in Dioskorides’ book Materia Medica. Its presence in Turkish cuisine dates back at least to the 14th century.
It goes down to half. Kebere was also used in the Ottoman palace cuisine under the name of kebere pickle, and for the first time in the records, it was II. It is seen during the Bayezid period.
Although the use of kebere in kitchens has been forgotten over time, it has become an export product. The description of the plant as dollar buds is also related to the export of flower buds. Exports, which were previously around 1000-2000 tons, increased in the 1990s and reached up to 5000 tons; The foreign currency obtained increased to 10-12 million dollars. Exports, which were then provided entirely by domestic production (collection), later increased further; However, this increase occurred through imports. In 2007, we had a total export of 7363 tons and an income of 15,460,000 dollars. In the same year, our imports amounted to 6053 tons and 7,240,000 dollars of foreign currency was paid. In other words, 82% of our exports were met through imports and the net foreign exchange inflow decreased compared to previous years. Although capere exports are made to more than 40 countries, the USA, Germany, Italy, Spain and Denmark are the most important buyer countries, respectively, and exports to these five countries constitute 80% of our total exports. 95% of imports are from Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Syria. Kebere is mainly exported as freshly cooled, temporarily canned, canned without vinegar, and not frozen. Most exports are in the form of temporary canning. The world’s export of temporary canned keber, which is not suitable for immediate consumption, is 20-25 thousand tons according to years, and its commercial value is 25-35 million dollars. However, the export values of canned capercaillie products are not fully known. In this market, countries such as Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Spain are leading in canned and ready-to-eat kebere products in small containers. The flower buds that are the subject of world trade are largely collected from natural capercaillie plants like ours. It is cultivated to a small extent in countries such as Spain and Italy. The smaller the diameter of caper buds, the more valuable they are, and buds up to 17 mm in size are traded. First quality are buds 7 mm and smaller. One kilogram contains between 800 and 7000 buds, depending on the class.
After the bitterness is removed by pickling, the caper buds are added to various dishes or consumed as a kind of spice due to their appetizing properties. It is used in many food industries, especially in salads, sauces, soups, pasta, pizza, vegetable dishes, fish and other seafood, vegetarian foods, frozen products, cheeses and flavoring industry. It is mainly traded for this purpose and is included in the food legislation of many countries. Although they are not consumed much domestically in our country, imported keberries – and recently domestic products – are sold in some large markets.
Powerful antioxidant
Caper is very rich in protein, vitamins and minerals. Glucosinalates are one of the active ingredients of caperol. More than 100 glucosinlates with different structures have been found in plants so far, and the main component (80-95%) among the 12 components detected in capers is glucocapparin. The unique aroma of the product emerges as a result of the hydrolysis of glucocaparine, which is present at an average rate of 0.3% in the bud, with enzyme or acid. Caper is also rich in polyphenols, the most important of which is quercetin. It is stated that the quercetin in 10g of serveable caper bud is equivalent to 100g of onion. Quercetin shows strong antioxidant properties.
Apart from its use as food, it has also been used medicinally since ancient times, and all parts of the plant, including its roots, are used for this purpose. Flower buds, fruit and root bark are diuretic, constipating and strengthening. There is a Hadith regarding its use in the treatment of hemorrhoids. Capricorn has appetizing, digestive, stomach-strengthening, antimicrobial, cholesterol-lowering and anti-cancer properties. In addition, fruit extract is included in the composition of some cosmetic preparations effective in skin and hair diseases.