Capers are an ancient food — even the Greeks of long ago trafficked in them. But cooks today sometimes forget the power locked within the tiny orbs to transform a dish.

“(They) are like little bombs, little accents, that can take a really quiet dish and wake it up,” says Brian Yarvin, co-author of “Cucina Piemontese: Cooking From Italy’s Piedmont” and author of a coming book on British cooking called “Ploughman’s Lunch and the Miser’s Feast.”

“It’s a unique flavor,” says Yarvin. “There’s nothing you could buy in the world that tastes like that.”

Capers are the immature flower buds of the caper bush. For their size, their flavor is astonishingly outsized: pungent, almost mustardy, briny, even tangy. They get attention.

“In doubt, I usually just add capers,” admits Marlena Spieler, a self-styled “caper queen.”

California-born and now living in England, she is a prolific author with dozens of cookbooks to her credit. She thinks cooks should keep capers handy, both those pickled in brine and those packed in salt.

“I love the salted capers because once you soak them you can really taste the deliciousness of caper instead of brine,” Spieler writes in an email from England. “But then there are times when brine is quite a zesty little addition to things like dressings. Each has its charms.”

She fondly recalls receiving a surprise gift: A 50-pound bag of salted capers from the Sicilian island of Pantelleria, one of the primo sources in the world.

“Kept us in capers for three years,” she says.

What sort of caper to use in cooking depends on what you’re going for in terms of taste, texture and eye-appeal, says Georgeanne Brennan, author of “Olives, Anchovies and Capers: The Secret Ingredients of the Mediterranean Table,” who has a huge caper bush outside her home in Winters, Calif.

“Some of the smaller ones, for example, you’d use as a garnish on an hors d’oeuvre,” she said. “I do a leaf of Belgian endive with a little goat cheese, smoked salmon and a caper. You’d want a smaller caper packed in brine.”

Those packed in salt tend to be larger and have a softer texture, Brennan said, noting that that’s fine for cooking or in salads, such as cold pasta salad tossed with olive oil-packed tuna, tomatoes and capers.

Brennan says capers appeal to busy cooks because they are easy to use and add multiple layers of flavor, such as in a turkey cutlet dish she recently made.

“I put in some crème fraîche and made a pan sauce and threw in some capers,” she says. “By adding that one thing, I made a very sophisticated sauce.”

Spieler uses this aioli dip for artichokes, tiny boiled potatoes, roasted chicken or grilled fish.

“Ingredient amounts vary; add and subtract as the consistency requires,” she writes in an email from England.

CAPER AIOLIStir together 3 tablespoons mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons Greek-style yogurt and 1 clove garlic, chopped. Add 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; mix well until emulsified. Stir in 2 tablespoons capers, brined or salted (soak in water first, if you like); chill until ready to use.

CAULIFLOWER CAPONATA—Yield: 4 servings

1 medium head cauliflower, separated into small florets and pieces about 1/2 inch thick and 1 1/2 inches wide3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil1/4-1/2 teaspoon turmeric1/8-1/4 teaspoon cumin3-4 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped2 tablespoons sugar1/3 cup vinegar2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves1-2 tablespoons brined or salted capers, soaked in water1 tablespoon caper brine, if using brined capers, optional2 tablespoons golden raisins, soaked in hot water 10 minutes to plumpPinch salt, optional2 tablespoons coarsely chopped toasted almonds

Procedure:1. Cook cauliflower florets in olive oil over medium-high heat in large skillet until they lightly brown and turn golden; sprinkle with turmeric, cumin and half the garlic as they cooks.2. When cauliflower is still crunchy but cooked through, sprinkle with sugar, remaining garlic, vinegar and thyme. Lower heat and cook, stirring once or twice, until vinegar’s sharpness mellows, about 3 minutes.3. Remove from heat; add capers, caper brine if using, raisins, and a pinch of salt if needed. Leave to cool; flavors will meld. Serve sprinkled with toasted almonds.

Nutrition data per serving: 172 calories, 59 percent of calories from fat, 12 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 16 g carbohydrates, 2 g protein, 86 mg sodium, 2 g fiber.

Adapted from cookbook author Marlena Spieler. She also likes to make this dish with broccoli, skipping the turmeric. “Serve this as an antipasto with other Mediterranean nibbly things: roasted peppers, artichoke hearts, olives, etc.,” she suggests.

Capers Caponata Photo by MCCLATCHY

Small brined capers Photo by MCCLATCHY

Large salted capers Photo by MCCLATCHY