What does agrodolce mean in Italian cooking?

Agrodolce is one of the oldest flavour ideas in Italian cooking, and one of the most useful. It isn't syrupy: done well, it is a bright, tangy, gently sweet glaze that makes vegetables taste vivid and savoury at once.

What the word means

The Treccani dictionary defines agrodolce as a flavour between sour (agro) and sweet (dolce), and notes that in cooking all'agrodolce means prepared with vinegar and sugar. Wikipedia's agrodolce entry describes it as a traditional sweet and sour sauce made by reducing sour and sweet ingredients, traditionally vinegar and sugar, sometimes with wine, fruit or even chocolate.

A little history

The idea is old and widespread. Wikipedia's Sicilian cuisine entry notes that the Byzantines favoured sweet and sour flavours, and lists sugar, citrus, raisins, pine nuts and spices among the Arab influences on Sicilian cooking from the 10th and 11th centuries. The agrodolce entry also cites the food writer Arthur Schwartz on sweet and sour as the dominant flavour pairing in Neapolitan cooking before tomatoes and mass-market pasta.

Today, Sicily is where agrodolce feels most at home. The Treccani entry for caponata describes the Sicilian dish as sweet-and-sour fried aubergine with celery, onion, capers, olives and tomato. Our page on caponata goes deeper.

The basic balance

At its simplest, agrodolce is three things:

• Acid: usually red or white wine vinegar. Sometimes citrus juice.
• Sweet: sugar or honey, sometimes raisins, dried fruit, cooked onions or reduced wine.
• Something savoury to carry it: the vegetable itself, olive oil, salt, often capers or olives.

The classic garnishes are raisins (often plumped in warm water or vinegar) and toasted pine nuts, sometimes with mint, cinnamon or a few chilli flakes.

How we balance it: add the vinegar and sweetness in small amounts near the end of cooking, let them bubble and reduce into a glaze, then taste. It should make your mouth water first and taste sweet second. If it's cloying, add a drop more vinegar; if it's harsh, cook it a little longer or add a touch more sweetness.

What to use it on

• Onions. Small onions or shallots cooked slowly until soft and glazed in vinegar and sugar, cipolline in agrodolce. Great with cheese and at aperitivo.
• Squash and pumpkin. Roasted or fried slices dressed with vinegar, a little sugar or honey, garlic and mint.
• Aubergine. In caponata, or simply fried cubes finished with vinegar, sugar, capers and basil.
• Peppers. Sliced and stewed with onions, finished with a splash of vinegar and a pinch of sugar.
• Greens. Spinach, chard or escarole sautéed with garlic, raisins and pine nuts.
• Carrots and beetroot. Roasted and glazed with vinegar and honey.
• Radicchio. Grilled, then dressed with a sweet-sour reduction.

Many agrodolce dishes taste better after a rest, at room temperature, once the flavours settle. That makes them ideal for making ahead.

A weeknight version

No recipe needed: soften sliced onions in olive oil, add cubes of roasted squash or fried aubergine, a handful of raisins and a splash of vinegar with a pinch of sugar. Let it bubble until glossy, scatter over toasted pine nuts and mint, and serve warm or at room temperature with bread and a soft cheese.