Even though it is prepared throughout southern Italy, the flavorful caponata is a typical Sicilian vegetable dish whose origins date back to the early 18th century. In the original recipe, the most important ingredient was gurnard fish (capone in Italian), but due to its price, gurnard was soon replaced by the widely available and much cheaper eggplant.

This version that has remained the most popular to this day. Today, there are over 30 different recipes for caponata, all of which make an amazing use of the rich late summer harvest of eggplants and tomatoes. Capers, olives, onions, and celery lend an invigorating bite to this delicately piquant dish, and with other ingredients such as pine nuts, raisins, almonds, and friggitello peppers, the colorful caponata easily becomes a wonderful embodiment of the true essence of Sicily.

After being sautéed one at a time, the vegetables are seasoned with a pinch of sugar and simmered in vinegar, which slowly melts into a tangy medley of sweet and sour flavors. Caponata can be enjoyed while still warm, as a side with various meat, poultry, and seafood dishes, or it can be served atop rigatoni or ziti for a filling pasta meal.

In Sicily, caponata is typically kept for a couple of days after cooking, allowing time for the flavors to deepen, after which it is most often served as a cold antipasto on a crispy bruschetta or alongside sfincione Palermitano - Sicilian-style focaccia bread.