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

Italian cuisine Italian cuisine (, ) is a Mediterranean cuisine David 1988, Introduction, pp.101–103 consisting of the ingredients, recipes and cooking techniques developed across the Italian Peninsula and later spread around the world together with wave ...

. They are made of small lumps of

dough Dough is a thick, malleable, sometimes elastic paste made from grains or from leguminous or chestnut crops. Dough is typically made by mixing flour with a small amount of water or other liquid and sometimes includes yeast or other leavenin ...

most traditionally composed of a simple combination of

wheat flour Wheat flour is a powder made from the grinding of wheat used for human consumption. Wheat varieties are called "soft" or "weak" if gluten content is low, and are called "hard" or "strong" if they have high gluten content. Hard flour, or ''bread ...

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 The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae. Wild potato species can be found from the southern Unit ...

. Variations of the dish supplement the simple recipe with flavour additives, such as

semolina Semolina is coarsely milled durum wheat mainly used in making couscous, and sweet puddings. The term semolina is also used to designate coarse millings of other varieties of wheat, and sometimes other grains (such as rice or corn) as well. Ety ...

flour, cheese, breadcrumbs, cornmeal or similar ingredients, 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. Gnocchi are commonly cooked in salted boiling water and then dressed with various sauces. They are usually eaten as a first course (''primo piatto'') as an alternative to soups (''minestre'') or

pasta Pasta (, ; ) is a type of food typically made from an unleavened dough of wheat flour mixed with water or eggs, and formed into sheets or other shapes, then cooked by boiling or baking. Rice flour, or legumes such as beans or lentils, ar ...

, 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 Pesto () is a sauce that traditionally consists of crushed garlic, European pine nuts, coarse salt, basil leaves, and hard cheese such as Parmigiano-Reggiano (also known as Parmesan cheese) or Pecorino Sardo (cheese made from sheep's milk), a ...

, 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 A sieve, fine mesh strainer, or sift, is a device for separating wanted elements from unwanted material or for controlling the particle size distribution of a sample, using a screen such as a woven mesh or net or perforated sheet materia ...

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

since

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

times. It was introduced by the

Roman legion The Roman legion ( la, legiō, ) was the largest military unit of the Roman army, composed of 5,200 infantry and 300 equites (cavalry) in the period of the Roman Republic (509 BC–27 BC) and of 5,600 infantry and 200 auxilia in the period o ...

s during the expansion of the empire into the countries of the

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

an continent. One ancient Roman 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

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

n '' malloreddus'' 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, Friuli-Venezia Giulia,

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, and

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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 that is

shelf-stable Shelf-stable food (sometimes ambient food) is food of a type that can be safely stored at room temperature in a sealed container. This includes foods that would normally be stored refrigerated but which have been processed so that they can be s ...

, 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 Ricotta ( in Italian) is an Italian whey cheese made from sheep, cow, goat, or Italian water buffalo milk whey left over from the production of other cheeses. Like other whey cheeses, it is made by coagulating the proteins that remain after th ...

, flour and spinach, as well as the addition of various other herbs if required. Tuscan gnudi distinctively contains less flour; but some varieties are flour-based, like the

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n ''strangulaprievete'', the Apulian ''

cavatelli Cavatelli ( , also , ; literally "little hollows") are small pasta shells made from semolina or other flour dough, that resemble miniature hot dog buns, commonly cooked with garlic and broccoli or broccoli rabe, or simply with tomato sauce. A ...

'', the

n '' malloreddus'', and so on. Certain kinds are made of cooked polenta or

, which is spread out to dry, layered with cheese and butter, and baked. ''Gnocchi di pane'' (literally "bread lumps"), derived from the ''

Semmelknödel Semmelknödel are a kind of bread dumplings made from dried wheat bread rolls like Kaiser rolls, milk, and eggs. The name derives from southern Germany, where ''semmel'' means bread rolls and ''knödel'' refers to something that has been kneaded. ...

'', is made from breadcrumbs and is popular in Friuli-Venezia Giulia,

and Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. Another variety from the latter region is spinach 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 Pašticada, Dalmatinska pašticada. The Croatian name for gnocchi is 'njoki'.

Slovenia

Gnocchi, known locally as "njoki," are common in Slovenia's Primorska region, which shares many of its culinary traditions with neighboring Italy.

Poland

An almost identical creation are 'kluski Pierogi leniwe, 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 ("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 language, Spanish, ) or ''nhoque'' (Portuguese language, 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'' 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.