Alternative names | Capunata |
---|---|
Type | Salad |
Place of origin | Italy |
Region or state | Sicily |
Main ingredients | Aubergine/eggplant |
Ingredients generally used | Celery |
Variations | Cianfotta |
Caponata (Sicilian: capunata) is a Sicilian dish consisting of chopped fried eggplant/aubergine and other vegetables, seasoned with olive oil, tomato sauce, celery, olives, and capers, in an agrodolce sauce.[1]
Variants may add carrots, bell peppers, potatoes, pine nuts, and raisins.[2]
A Palermo version adds octopus, and an aristocratic recipe includes lobster and swordfish garnished with wild asparagus, grated dried tuna roe and shrimp.[3] These are exceptions to the general rule of a sweet and sour cooked vegetable stew or salad.
Today, caponata is typically used as a side dish for fish dishes and sometimes as an appetizer, but since the 18th century it has also been used as a main course.
Caponata is historically associated with Sicily's Jewish community, and is sometimes still referred to as caponata alla giudia.[4]
A similar Neapolitan dish is called "cianfotta". The dish is also popular in Tunisian cuisine.