Gnocchi

GnocchiTemplate:Efn are a varied family of pasta-like dumplings in Italian cuisine.<ref name="ss42" /> They are made of small rolls of dough, such as those composed of a simple combination of wheat flour,<ref name="Buonassisi">Buonassisi, recipe #831-833</ref> potato,<ref name="Buonassisi-2">Buonassisi, recipe #854-857</ref> egg,<ref name="Buonassisi-3">Buonassisi, recipe #837-838</ref> and salt. Variations of the dish supplement the simple recipe with flavour additives, such as semolina flour,<ref name="Vincenzo Buonassisi">Vincenzo Buonassisi, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, Rizzoli 1985, recipe #850-853</ref> cheese,<ref name="Buonassisi-4">Buonassisi, recipe #839-840</ref> breadcrumbs,<ref name="Buonassisi-5">Buonassisi, recipe #877 "Al Pien... si tratta di gnocchi, delicatissimi, secondo un'antica ricetta mantovana..."</ref> cornmeal<ref name="OCIF">Template:Cite book</ref> or similar ingredients,<ref name="Waverley Root">Waverley Root, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, 1971 passim</ref><ref name="Luigi Carnacina">Luigi Carnacina, Luigi Veronelli, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (4 vol.), Rizzoli 1966, passim</ref><ref name="Accademia Italiana della Cucina">Accademia Italiana della Cucina, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, tr. Jay Hyams, Rizzoli, 2009, passim</ref> 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.<ref name="OCIF" />

Gnocchi are commonly cooked in salted boiling water and then dressed with various sauces.<ref name="OCIF" /> They are usually eaten as a first course ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) as an alternative to soups ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) or pasta, but they can also be served as a contorno (side dish) to some main courses.<ref name="OCIF" /> 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

File:Gnocchi Red Sauce.jpg

Gnocchi in slow simmered red sauce

The word {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} may be derived from the Italian word {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, meaning 'a knot in wood',<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> or from {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, meaning 'knuckle'.<ref>{{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.</ref> It has been a traditional dish since Roman times.<ref name="ss42">Template:Cite book</ref> 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 {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} and Sardinian {{#invoke:Lang|lang}},<ref name="Farley 2017" /> which do not contain eggs.

After potatoes were introduced to Europe, they were eventuallyTemplate:When incorporated into gnocchi recipes.<ref>Theisen, K. "World Potato Atlas: China - History and Overview." International Potato Center.</ref> Potato gnocchi are particularly popular in Lombardy, Abruzzo, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Veneto, and Lazio.

Ingredients and preparation

File:Gnocchi board or cavarola.jpg

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File:Creazione gnocchi.jpg

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Ingredients typically include wheat flour,<ref name="Buonassisi" /> potato,<ref name="Buonassisi-2" /> egg,<ref name="Buonassisi-3" /> and salt. Variations of the dish supplement the simple recipe with flavour additives, such as semolina flour,<ref name="Vincenzo Buonassisi" /> cheese,<ref name="Buonassisi-4" /> breadcrumbs,<ref name="Buonassisi-5" /> cornmeal<ref name="OCIF" /> or similar ingredients,<ref name="Waverley Root" /><ref name="Luigi Carnacina" /><ref name="Accademia Italiana della Cucina" /> 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.<ref name="OCF">Template:Cite book</ref> 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.<ref name="OCIF" /> Professional tools exist for this purpose, known as gnocchi or {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} boards.

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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.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Alessandrini">Template:Cite journal</ref> Some are sold in vacuum packaging that is shelf-stable, only needing refrigeration once it is opened.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Varieties

Italy

Lombard and Tuscan {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Template:Literally) are made with ricotta, flour, and spinach, as well as the addition of various other herbs if required.<ref name="OCIF" /><ref>Buonassisi, recipe #875</ref> Tuscan {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} distinctively contains less flour;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> but some varieties are flour-based, such as the Campanian {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, the Apulian {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, the Sardinian {{#invoke:Lang|lang}},<ref name="Farley 2017">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and so on.<ref>Buonassisi, recipe #895</ref> Certain kinds are made of cooked polenta or semolina, which is spread out to dry, layered with cheese and butter, and baked.<ref name="OCIF" />

Outside Italy

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.<ref name="MacGregor 2016">Template:Cite news</ref>

France

In France, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is a hot dish of dumplings made of choux pastry served with béchamel sauce.<ref name="Gray Chronicle 2010">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

A specialty of Nice, {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} or {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> are made with potatoes, wheat flour, and eggs. Another version including {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Swiss chard) is called {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} (Template:Literally<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>).

In Provence, potato gnocchi can be made in a longer shape called {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

South America

Due to the significant number of Italian immigrants who arrived in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, gnocchi, ñoqui ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}) or {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:IPA|main}}) 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.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Gallery

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See also

• List of pasta
• List of pasta dishes
• List of dumplings
• {{#invoke:Lang|lang}}

Further reading

• Davidson, Alan. The Oxford Companion to Food, s.v. gnocchi.
• Jenkins, Nancy Harmon. Flavors of Tuscany. 1998.
• Garnerone, Myriam. "Traditions et Cuisine du pays niçois, Recettes Niçoises de nos Grands-Mères". 2008.