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Gnocchi

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Gnocchi
Gnocchi of ricotta cheese dressed in butter and sage
TypeDumpling
CoursePrimo (Italian course)
Place of originItaly
Main ingredientsPotatoes, semolina, wheat flour, breadcrumbs, sometimes eggs, cheese, durum
Similar dishesGnudi
  • Wikibooks logo Cookbook: Gnocchi
  •  Wikimedia Commons logo Media: Gnocchi

Gnocchi[a] are a varied family of pasta-like dumplings in Italian cuisine.[6] They are made of small rolls of dough, such as those composed of a simple combination of wheat flour,[7] potato,[8] egg,[9] and salt. Variations of the dish supplement the simple recipe with flavour additives, such as semolina flour,[10] cheese,[11] breadcrumbs,[12] cornmeal[13] or similar ingredients,[14][15][16] and possibly including herbs, vegetables, and other ingredients. Base ingredients may be substituted with alternatives, such as sweet potatoes for potatoes or rice flour for wheat flour. Such variations are often considered to be non-traditional.[13]

Gnocchi are commonly cooked in salted boiling water and then dressed with various sauces.[13] They are usually eaten as a first course (primo) as an alternative to soups (minestre) or pasta, but they can also be served as a contorno (side dish) to some main courses.[13] Common accompaniments of gnocchi include melted butter with sage, pesto, and various sauces. Gnocchi may be homemade, made by specialty stores or produced industrially and distributed refrigerated, dried or frozen. Small soup gnocchi are sometimes made by pressing the dough through a coarse sieve or a perforated spoon.

Origin

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Gnocchi in slowly simmered red sauce

The word gnocchi may be derived from the Italian word nocchio, meaning 'a knot in wood',[17] or from nocca, meaning 'knuckle'.[18] It has been a traditional dish since Roman times.[6] It was introduced by the Roman legions during the expansion of the empire into the countries of the European continent. One ancient Roman recipe consists of a semolina porridge-like dough mixed with eggs; similar modern dishes include the baked gnocchi alla romana and Sardinian malloreddus,[19] which do not contain eggs.

After the potato was introduced to Europe, it was incorporated into gnocchi recipes in the late 19th century, as fees for milling wheat became too expensive for small landowners in central and northern Italy, encouraging the use of alternatives to flour when feasible.[20] Potato gnocchi are particularly popular in Lombardy, Abruzzo, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Veneto, and Lazio.

Ingredients and preparation

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Gnocchi board or cavarola
Forming gnocchi with a cavarola

Ingredients typically include wheat flour,[7] potato,[8] egg,[9] and salt. Variations of the dish supplement the simple recipe with flavour additives, such as semolina flour,[10] cheese,[11] breadcrumbs,[12] cornmeal[13] or similar ingredients,[14][15][16] and possibly including herbs, vegetables, and other ingredients.

The dough for gnocchi is often rolled out before it is cut into small pieces about the size of a wine cork or smaller.[21] The dumplings may be pressed with a textured object, such as a fork or a cheese grater, to make ridges or cut into little lumps.[13] Professional tools exist for this purpose, known as gnocchi or cavarola boards.

Gnocchi that are homemade are usually consumed the same day they are made. However, they can be cut into bite-sized dumplings, spread evenly on a baking sheet, frozen, then packaged in an air-tight bag and back into the freezer for later consumption. This method can allow the gnocchi to last up to two months in the freezer.

Commercial gnocchi are often sold under modified atmospheric packaging and may achieve a shelf life of two weeks or more under refrigeration.[22][23] Some are sold in vacuum packaging that is shelf-stable, only needing refrigeration once it is opened.[24]

Varieties

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Italy

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Lombard and Tuscan malfatti (lit. 'poorly made') are made with ricotta, flour, and spinach, as well as the addition of various other herbs if required.[13][25] Tuscan gnudi distinctively contains less flour;[26] but some varieties are flour-based, such as the Campanian strangulaprievete, the Apulian cavatelli, the Sardinian malloreddus,[19] and so on.[27] Certain kinds are made of cooked polenta or semolina, which is spread out to dry, layered with cheese and butter, and baked.[13]

Outside Italy

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Croatia

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Gnocchi are very popular and often served as a dish in coastal Croatia, typically being served as a first course or a side dish with dalmatinska pašticada. The Croatian name for gnocchi is njoki.[28]

France

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In France, gnocchis à la parisienne is a hot dish of dumplings made of choux pastry served with béchamel sauce.[29]

A specialty of Nice, gnocchi or gnoques de tantifla a la nissarda[30] are made with potatoes, wheat flour, and eggs. Another version including blette (Swiss chard) is called merda dé can (lit. 'dog shit'[31]).

In Provence, potato gnocchi can be made in a longer shape called longettes.[32]

South America

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Due to the significant number of Italian immigrants who arrived in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, gnocchi, ñoqui (Spanish: [ˈɲoki]) or nhoque (Portuguese: [ˈɲɔki]) is a popular dish, even in areas with few Italian immigrants. In Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina, there is a tradition of eating gnocchi on the 29th of each month, with some people putting money beneath their plates to bring prosperity.[33][34] Indeed, in Argentina and Uruguay ñoqui is slang for a bogus employee (according to corrupt accountancy practices or, in the public sector, the distribution of political patronage), who only turns up at the end of the month to receive their salary.[35]

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See also

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Notes

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References

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  1. ↑ "gnocchi". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 2019-12-16.
  2. ↑ "gnocchi". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. OCLC 1032680871. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  3. ↑ "gnocchi". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  4. ↑ "gnocchi". The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). HarperCollins. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  5. ↑ "gnocchi". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. Archived from the original on 2 October 2019. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
  6. 1 2 Serventi, Silvano; Sabban, Françoise (2002). Pasta: The Story of a Universal Food. Translated by Shugaar, Antony. New York: Columbia University Press. p. 14. ISBN 0-231-12442-2 – via Internet Archive.
  7. 1 2 Buonassisi, recipe #831-833
  8. 1 2 Buonassisi, recipe #854-857
  9. 1 2 Buonassisi, recipe #837-838
  10. 1 2 Buonassisi, Vincenzo (1985). Il Nuovo Codice Della Pasta [The New Pasta Code] (in Italian). Rizzoli. Recipe #850-853
  11. 1 2 Buonassisi, recipe #839-840
  12. 1 2 Buonassisi, recipe #877 "Al Pien... si tratta di gnocchi, delicatissimi, secondo un'antica ricetta mantovana..."
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Riley, Gillian (2007). The Oxford Companion to Italian Food. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-860617-8.
  14. 1 2 Root, Waverley (1971). The Food of Italy. Atheneum.
  15. 1 2 Carnacina, Luigi; Veronelli, Luigi (1977). La Cucina Rustica Regionale [Regional Rustic Cuisine] (in Italian). Rizzoli.
  16. 1 2 La Cucina: The Regional Cooking of Italy. Translated by Hyams, Jay. New York: Rizzoli. 2009. ISBN 978-0-8478-3147-0.
  17. ↑ "gnocchi, n." Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 5 November 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
  18. ↑ Lo Zingarelli (in Italian). Zanichelli. 2008.
  19. 1 2 Farley, David (19 October 2017). "The perfect pasta dish Sardinians refuse to share". BBC. Archived from the original on 12 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  20. ↑ Theisen, Kelly (5 September 2026). "China" (PDF). World Potato Atlas.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ↑ Davidson, Alan (2014). Jaine, Tom (ed.). The Oxford Companion to Food (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 352–353. doi:10.1093/acref/9780199677337.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-967733-7.
  22. ↑ Ohlsson, Thomas; Bengtsson, Nils, eds. (2002). Minimal Processing Technologies in the Food Industry. Cambridge: Woodhead Publishing. ISBN 9781855736795.
  23. ↑ Alessandrini, Laura; Balestra, Federica; Romani, Santina; Rocculi, Pietro; Dalla Rosa, Marco (2010). "Physicochemical and Sensory Properties of Fresh Potato-Based Pasta (Gnocchi)". Journal of Food Science. 75 (9): S542–S547. doi:10.1111/j.1750-3841.2010.01842.x. PMID 21535629.
  24. ↑ "Sam's Choice Italia Potato Gnocchi, 17.6 oz". Walmart. Retrieved 29 April 2022. Store in a cool and dry place (MAX 25°C). Once opened, keep refrigerated for max 3 days.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  25. ↑ Buonassisi, recipe #875
  26. ↑ Royer, Blake (15 April 2010). "Homemade Gnudi from The Spotted Pig". The Paupered Chef. Archived from the original on 12 May 2014. Retrieved 12 May 2014.
  27. ↑ Buonassisi, recipe #895
  28. ↑ MacGregor, Sandra (17 June 2013). "Varazdin: Croatia's 'little Vienna'". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 6 November 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  29. ↑ Sorosky Gray, Marlene (4 April 2010). "Bay Area chefs put twists on traditional French pastry". SFGate. Hearst Communications. Archived from the original on 6 November 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2016.
  30. ↑ Médecin, Jacques (1976). La Cuisine du Comté de Nice [The Cuisine of the County of Nice] (in French). Julliard. ISBN 9782260000259.
  31. ↑ Frommer's Europe 2000. Macmillan USA. 1999. p. 397. ISBN 978-0-02-862995-7. ...the unfortunately named merda de can (lit. 'dog shit'), which is gnocchi stuffed with spinach - it's a lot more appetizing than it sounds.
  32. ↑ Larousse Gastronomique: The World's Greatest Culinary Encyclopedia, Completely Revised and Updated. New York: Clarkson Potter. 2022. ISBN 978-0-593-57774-5.
  33. ↑ McLaughlin, Katy (29 January 2011). "New-World Gnocchi". The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company. Archived from the original on 27 January 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  34. ↑ Schneider, Laura (4 February 2014). "How Eating Italian Gnocchi Became a Monthly Tradition in Latin America". Global Voices. Translated by Schneider, Laura. Archived from the original on 13 August 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  35. ↑ Lalani, Azzura (29 January 2016). "'I Am Not a Ñoqui' - The Story Behind the State's Mass Layoffs". The Argentina Independent. Archived from the original on 25 April 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.

Further reading

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