caponata

[ kap-uh-nah-tuh ]

noun

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

caponata

/ ˌkæpəˈnɑːtə /

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of caponata¹

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 ); capon ( def ), -ade ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of caponata¹

Italian