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·¡²µ²µ±è±ô²¹²Ô³Ù²õÌý— melanzane in ½ûÂþÌìÌà— were introduced to Sicily by the Arabs in the Middle Ages. Since then, this bulbous fruit has become a fixture in the island’s cookery. Acoording to Mary Taylor Simeti, author of Sicilian Food, any discussion of the myriad Sicilian recipes that use melanzane should begin with the sublime appetizer caponata. This dish, essentially a relish with an agrodolce (‘sweet-sour’) twist, consists of the following base ingredients:  eggplant, onion, tomato sauce, celery, vinegar, capers, olives, basil, sugar and salt. There are, however, many variations all over the Sicilian isle which include the addition of capsicums, pine nuts, raisins, potatoes, zucchinis, carrots,  cinnamon, tuna roe, swordfish and even lobster.

The origins of this caponata are shrouded in mystery. Some people contend that the dish’s name derives from the word capone, a Sicilian word meaning dolphinfish, and that it was originally an aristocratic fish-based preparation. Those who couldn’t afford fish bulked up their version with chunks of the humbler and readily available eggplant instead. Others argue that caponata derives from caupone, the name for sailors’ taverns, and that it was originally seagoing fare. There may be some basis, in fact, to the latter theory, since the presence of salt and vinegar stretches out caponata's shelf life. In fact, to this day, it is common in many Sicilian households to prepare large amounts of caponata in summer and preserve it in jars to enjoy year-round.

The recipe below is based on the city of Palermo’s interpretation of this dish, which also includes pine nuts and sultanas. For best results, plan ahead. You’ll need to set aside an hour to purge the eggplants and about 40-50 minutes for frying the eggplants and simmering these with the rest of the ingredients. After that, leave your caponata to rest for several hours (or better yet, overnight) to best appreciate that meltingly sweet yet tangy combination.