Eggplant is the central vegetable in Sicilian caponata.
Caponata is a cooked vegetable dish in which diced eggplant is combined with ingredients such as celery, tomatoes, onions, olives, and capers. Its characteristic sweet-and-sour flavor, called agrodolce, usually comes from a balance of vinegar and a sweetener such as sugar. The vegetables may be fried or cooked separately before being combined.
Caponata is associated with Sicily and is commonly served as an appetizer, side dish, or part of an antipasto spread. Recipes differ from town to town, and some versions include pine nuts, raisins, or other seasonal ingredients. Eggplant is the anchor, however, and distinguishes caponata from generic vegetable relishes. The dish is sometimes confused with ratatouille, the French Provençal vegetable stew. Both can contain eggplant and tomatoes, but caponata’s sweet-and-sour seasoning and Sicilian ingredients give it a different profile.