The dish that more people associate with sicily than any other is probably caponata, an eggplant-based delight that has now spread throughout italy and beyond. Unfortunately, much of the caponata one encounters outside of sicily is a shadow of what it should be. When it's done right, it's a zesty summer dish that's ideal for perking up a sluggish appetite on a hot day. Though it's traditionally a summer dish, it's so well-loved that it's now made year round, in an infinite variety of forms. Some versions are purely vegetarian, whereas some palermo versions can also contain fish, as you will see in the variations below.