Gnocchi

gnocchi

Italian

“The little lumps of potato dough whose name might mean 'knuckles.'”

Gnocchi comes from the Italian word for 'knot' or 'knuckle' — nocchio or nocca. The small dumplings look like knuckles, especially when pressed with a fork.

Potato gnocchi are relatively recent (potatoes came from the Americas in the 1500s). Before that, Italians made gnocchi from semolina, breadcrumbs, or ricotta.

Each Italian region has its gnocchi: Roman gnocchi alla romana uses semolina; Sardinian malloreddus are ridged and saffron-tinged; Tyrolean canederli are bread dumplings.

Outside Italy, 'gnocchi' usually means only the potato version — the regional diversity lost in translation.

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Today

Gnocchi has become shorthand for comfort food Italian — the pillowy potato dumplings in brown butter or tomato sauce.

But in Italy, saying 'gnocchi' is like saying 'pasta' — it names a category, not a dish. The plural is always gnocchi, never gnocchio.

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