which have been gathered from the wild and
pickled for thousands of years, though
cultivated only for a couple of centuries. The
caper bush is distantly related to the cabbage
family and has its pungent sulfur compounds,
which dominate in the raw flower bud. The
bud is preserved in various ways — in brine,
in vinegar, dry-salted — and used as a sour-
salty accent in sauces and dishes, especially
with fish. When drysalted, the caper bud
undergoes an astonishing transformation: its
radish and onion notes are displaced by the
distinct aroma (from ionone and raspberry
ketone) of violets and raspberries!
Curry Leaf Curry leaf is the leaf of a small
tree in the citrus family, Murraya koenigii, a
native of south Asia. It is primarily used in
south India and Malaysia, where households
often have their own plant and add it to many
dishes. Despite its name, the curry leaf
doesn’t taste like Indian curries; it is mild and