Though it used to be a dish with squid, celery and eggplant served in the taverns in port cities on Sicily which were called Caupone (which is where the name Caponata comes from), Caponata, as it’s known today, is mostly an Eggplant and vegetable relish with a sweet and sour flavor profile. This ancient dish is made differently from village to village, house to house, and city to city. It’s almost impossible to find two that are made the same way. However, there are some commonalities that you’ll find such as capers, olives, raisins, and pine nuts. Today as always the main ingredient is Eggplant but the celery has been reduced and the squid has been replaced by many other vegetables and in some cases as in this recipe, anchovies which give the dish an umami boost. In times past Caponata was created to salvage vegetables that were going bad and just like we do today, they were cooked to extend their lives. Could it be that taverns purchased old vegetables on the cheap and created Caponata as an extra revenue source? I don’t thik we will ever know the answer. Today though, Caponata is typically served with bruschetta or with crostini and or with meat and fish dishes. Join Chef G.S. Argenti as he shows you one of the many, many versions of this ancient and classic Sicilian and Calabrian dish that southern Italians have been enjoying for centuries.
