caponata

American  

[kap-uh-nah-tuh] / ˌkæp əˈnɑ tə /

noun

1. a spread of chopped eggplant, tomatoes, onions, and capers, and sometimes pine nuts, anchovies, and olives, cooked in olive oil.

---

caponata British  

/ ˌkæpəˈnɑːtə /

noun

1. (in Sicilian cookery) a dish of fried seasoned aubergine and other vegetables, served as an appetizer

---

Etymology

Origin of caponata

First recorded in 1930-35; from Italian caponata, capponata, earlier Sicilian dialect capunata “sailor's salad of stale bread or hardtack soaked with oil, vinegar, and minced vegetables,” from Italian cappone, capon (from Latin cāpō-, stem of cāpō “castrated cock”) + -ata (from Latin -āta ); see origin at capon ( def. ), -ade ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

caponata

They turn roasted eggplant into caponata with a version of it dressed up with alliums, raisins and herbs.

From Washington Times ● Dec. 7, 2023

Dine-in: Selections from the four-course Thanksgiving dinner at Michael Mina’s modern steakhouse will include tuna tartare, Honeycrisp apple salad, roasted heritage turkey, miso-broiled sea bass, salt-baked prime rib, roasted Brussels sprouts and butternut squash caponata.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 15, 2023

I'll never forget my first tastes of squid tartare and caponata packed with eggplant, tomatoes and capers in vinegary, sweet sauce — when I realized I'd found my kindred cooking spirit.

From Salon ● Jul. 31, 2023

Top with a pile of couscous and some of the caponata.

From Washington Post ● Sep. 16, 2021

They could also be served as part of a meal, with tomato and salted ricotta salad maybe, or caponata, or even boiled potatoes with sweet red onion and capers.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 22, 2019