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.
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.
3 editor picks for Caponata in Palermo, ranked by editorial score. All Palermo signature dishes · Caponata across every city.
Buatta Cucina Popolana ★ 4.5
loggia · Via Vittorio Emanuele 176, 90133 Palermo
Buatta Cucina Popolana on Via Vittorio Emanuele in Palermo is the city's flagship cucina povera room, a Michelin Bib Gourmand for seasonal Sicilian plates inside an 1870 grocer's shopfront.
Bisso Bistrot ★ 4.4
loggia · Via Maqueda 172A, 90134 Palermo
Bisso Bistrot at the Quattro Canti crossroads in Palermo is a former Casa del Libro bookshop turned communal-table bistro for Sicilian classics, no reservations, queues most nights.
Trattoria Ai Cascinari ★ 4.4
capo · Via D'Ossuna 43/45, 90138 Palermo
Trattoria Ai Cascinari on Via D'Ossuna in Palermo is a 1949-founded family room behind the Capo market, Slow Food praised for the cucina povera carte and Sunday lunch.