Caponata is a sweet-and-sour Sicilian aubergine stew with celery, capers, olives, tomato, sugar and vinegar, served at room temperature as an antipasto or contorno, on every Palermitan carte.
Where to eat it: 3 restaurants across 1 city.
Caponata's name traces to the Catalan 'caponada' (a sweet-and-sour sailors' dish), brought to Sicily by Aragonese rule in the 14th century. The Sicilian agrodolce balance, the use of capers, olives and pine nuts, all consolidated through the Spanish Habsburg centuries. There are over 30 documented regional Sicilian caponata variants.
Common allergens: None
Tip from the editors. Frying the aubergine in batches and draining before combining is the structural rule; if you skip this you get a watery stew, not caponata.
Buatta on Via Vittorio Emanuele in Palermo is the city's flagship cucina povera room, a Michelin Bib Gourmand for seasonal Sicilian plates inside.
Signature: Sarde a beccafico, Caponata, Pasta con le sarde
Order: Sarde a beccafico and the caponata, the carte flagships.
Tip: Book ahead. The mixed antipasti for two is the efficient lunch order.
Bisso Bistrot at the Quattro Canti in Palermo serves Sicilian classics like pasta alla Norma and caponata at communal tables for under 12 euros.
Try: Sicilian classics under 12 euros
Tip: No reservations. Arrive 12:30 lunch or 19:30 dinner.
Trattoria Ai Cascinari on Via D'Ossuna in Palermo is a 1949 family room behind the Capo market, where Palermitan workers eat cucina povera classics.
Why locals love it: A 1949 Slow Food trattoria behind the Capo market that almost no tourist finds; the Cascino courtyard location keeps it strictly Palermitan working-class lunch.
Tip: Book a day ahead for Sunday lunch; gluten-free pasta available with notice. Cash works fastest.
More cities are in research. Want caponata covered somewhere specific? Tell us where you want to eat.