Gnocchi ( , , ; singular ''gnocco'') are a varied family of

dumpling Dumpling is a broad class of dishes that consist of pieces of dough (made from a variety of starch sources), oftentimes wrapped around a filling. The dough can be based on bread, flour, buckwheat or potatoes, and may be filled with meat, fi ...

in Italian cuisine. They are made of small lumps of dough most traditionally composed of a simple combination of wheat flour,

egg An egg is an organic vessel grown by an animal to carry a possibly fertilized egg cell (a zygote) and to incubate from it an embryo within the egg until the embryo has become an animal fetus that can survive on its own, at which point the a ...

, salt, and potato. Variations of the dish supplement the simple recipe with flavour additives, such as semolina flour,

cheese Cheese is a dairy product produced in wide ranges of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk, usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats, or sheep. During production, ...

, breadcrumbs,

cornmeal Cornmeal is a meal (coarse flour) or a cell membrane ground from dried corn. It is a common staple food, and is ground to coarse, medium, and fine consistencies, but not as fine as wheat flour can be.Herbst, Sharon, ''Food Lover's Companion'', ...

or similar ingredients, and possibly including herbs, vegetables, and other ingredients. Base ingredients may be substituted with alternatives such as

sweet potato The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the Convolvulus, bindweed or morning glory family (biology), family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a r ...

es for potatoes or rice flour for wheat flour. Such variations are often considered to be non-traditional. Gnocchi are commonly cooked in salted boiling water and then dressed with various sauces. They are usually eaten as a

first course ''First Course'' is the debut album by jazz guitarist Lee Ritenour. The album was released on LP by Epic Records in 1976 and on CD by Columbia Records in 1990. Reception ''First Course'' was made when Ritenour was considered the best session mu ...

(''primo piatto'') as an alternative to soups (''minestre'') or pasta, but they can also be served as a ''contorno'' (side dish) to some main courses. Common accompaniments of gnocchi include melted butter with

sage Sage or SAGE may refer to: Plants * ''Salvia officinalis'', common sage, a small evergreen subshrub used as a culinary herb ** Lamiaceae, a family of flowering plants commonly known as the mint or deadnettle or sage family ** ''Salvia'', a large ...

, pesto, as well as various sauces. Gnocchi may be homemade, made by specialty stores, or produced industrially and distributed refrigerated, dried, or frozen. Most gnocchi are boiled in water and then served with a sauce. Small soup gnocchi are sometimes made by pressing the dough through a coarse sieve or a perforated spoon.

Origin

The word ''gnocchi'' may be derived from the Italian word ''nocchio'', meaning a knot in wood, or from ''nocca'', meaning knuckle. It has been a traditional type of Italian pasta since Roman times. It was introduced by the Roman legions during the expansion of the empire into the countries of the European continent. One

ancient Roman In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 BC ...

recipe consists of a

semolina porridge Semolina pudding or semolina porridge is a porridge-type pudding made from semolina, which is cooked with milk, or a mixture of milk and water, or just water. It is often served with sugar, cocoa powder, cinnamon, raisins, fruit, or syrup. A ...

-like dough mixed with eggs; similar modern dishes include the baked ''

gnocchi alla romana Gnocchi alla romana are a typical dish of Roman cuisine. They are prepared with gnocchi made of semolina, whole milk, butter and parmesan cheese, seasoned with a sauce and pepper. They are baked in the oven after being sprinkled with parmesan ...

'' and Sardinian ''

malloreddus Malloreddus, sometimes Italianized as gnocchetti sardi, are a type of pasta typical of Sardinian cuisine. They have the shape of thin ribbed shells, about long, and are made of semolina flour and water. They are usually eaten with different sa ...

'' which do not contain eggs. After potatoes were introduced to Europe, they were eventually incorporated into gnocchi recipes. Potato gnocchi are particularly popular in

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, historically Abruzzi) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy wi ...

Friuli-Venezia Giulia (man), it, Friulana (woman), it, Giuliano (man), it, Giuliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_t ...

, Veneto, and Lazio.

Production and packaging

The dough for gnocchi is often rolled out before it is cut into small pieces about the size of a

wine cork Wine corks are a stopper used to seal wine bottles. They are typically made from cork (bark of the cork oak), though synthetic materials can be used. Common alternative wine closures include screw caps and glass stoppers. 68 percent of all cor ...

or smaller. 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. Professional tools exist for this purpose, known as a gnocchi board or a cavarola board. 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 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. Some are sold in

vacuum packaging Vacuum packing is a method of packaging that removes air from the package prior to sealing. This method involves placing items in a plastic film package, removing air from inside and sealing the package. Shrink film is sometimes used to have a tig ...

that is shelf-stable, only needing refrigeration once it is opened.

Varieties

Gnocchi vary in recipe and name across different regions.

Regional

Lombard and Tuscan ''malfatti'' (literally ''poorly made'') are made with ricotta,

flour Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many culture ...

and

spinach Spinach (''Spinacia oleracea'') is a leafy green flowering plant native to central and western Asia. It is of the order Caryophyllales, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. Its leaves are a common edible vegetable consumed either f ...

, as well as the addition of various other herbs if required. Tuscan

gnudi Gnudi () are gnocchi-like dumplings made with ricotta cheese instead of potato, with semolina.Reinhardt, Dana. "Gno the Difference Between Gnocchi and Gnudi". Sol Kitchen. November 28, 2010. http://www.sol-kitchen.net/blog/2010/11/28/gno-diffe ...

distinctively contains less flour; but some varieties are flour-based, like the Campanian ''strangulaprievete'', the

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n '' cavatelli'', the Sardinian ''

'', and so on. Certain kinds are made of cooked

polenta Polenta (, ) is a dish of boiled cornmeal that was historically made from other grains. The dish comes from Italy. It may be served as a hot porridge, or it may be allowed to cool and solidify into a loaf that can be baked, fried, or grilled. ...

or semolina, which is spread out to dry, layered with cheese and butter, and baked. ''Gnocchi di pane'' (literally "bread lumps"), derived from the '' Semmelknödel'', is made from breadcrumbs and is popular in

, Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. Another variety from the latter region is

gnocchi.

International

Austria

In Austria, gnocchi are a common main or side dish, known by the original name and Austrian variant, ''nockerl'' (pl. ''nockerln''). As a side dish, they may accompany main dishes like goulash.

Croatia

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'.

Slovenia

Gnocchi, known locally as "njoki," are common in Slovenia's

Primorska The Slovene Littoral ( sl, Primorska, ; it, Litorale; german: Küstenland) is one of the five traditional regions of Slovenia. Its name recalls the former Austrian Littoral (''Avstrijsko Primorje''), the Habsburg possessions on the upper Ad ...

region, which shares many of its culinary traditions with neighboring Italy.

Poland

An almost identical creation are '

kluski Kluski (singular: ''klusek'' or ''kluska''; from German ''Klöße'') is a generic Polish name for all kinds of soft, mushy dumplings, usually without a filling. At times the word also refers to noodles and pasta as well, especially when they ar ...

leniwe' ("lazy dumplings"), but these do not contain egg. Often they are seasoned with various spices like pepper, cinnamon, or allspice. Similar in shape are

kopytka Kopytka (literally "little hooves") are a kind of potato dumpling in Polish, Belarusian, and Lithuanian cuisines. They are similar to Italian gnocchi. Preparation and serving The typical ingredients are boiled potatoes and flour, but may al ...

("hooves"), simple dough dumplings in the shape of a diamond, which do not contain cheese. Both are often served with sour cream, butter, caramelized onion, mushroom sauce, or gravy.

France

The name is also used in France in the dish known as ''gnocchis à la parisienne'', a hot dish comprising gnocchi formed of choux pastry served with Béchamel sauce. A specialty of Nice, the ''gnocchi de tantifla a la nissarda'', is made with potatoes, wheat flour, eggs, and ''blette'' ( Swiss chard), which is also used for the ''tourte de blette''. ''La merda dé can'' is longer than the original gnocchi.

South America

Due to the significant number of Italian immigrants who arrived in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, gnocchi, ''ñoqui'' ( Spanish, ) or ''nhoque'' ( Portuguese, ) 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. Indeed, in Argentina and Uruguay ''

ñoqui In Argentina and Uruguay, a ''ñoqui'' (English: gnocchi) is a person who is legally registered as a worker, usually for the government, and receives a monthly wage, but who performs little or no work. Such individuals are called ''ñoquis'' because ...

'' 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.