What is "gnocchi"

1891, from Italian gnocchi, plural of gnocco, from nocchio "a knot in wood," perhaps from a Germanic source akin to knuckle. So called for their shape.

n. Italian pasta-like dumplings made of potato or semolina.

n. (Italian) a small dumpling made of potato or flour or semolina that is boiled or baked and is usually served with a sauce or with grated cheese

Gnocchi ( or , ; , singular gnocco) are various thick, soft dough dumplings that may be made from semolina, ordinary wheat flour, egg, cheese, potato, breadcrumbs, cornmeal, or similar ingredients, with or without flavourings of herbs, vegetables, or sweet things like cocoa or prunes. The dough for gnocchi is most often rolled out, then cut into small pieces of about the size of a cork. They are then pressed with a fork or a cheese grater to make ridges which hold sauce. Alternatively, they are simply cut into little lumps. Gnocchi is usually eaten as a replacement for pasta as a first course, but it can also be served as a contorno to some dishes.

Like many Italian dishes, there is considerable variation in recipes and names across different regions. For example, Lombard and Tuscan malfatti (literally "poorly made") are a flour, ricotta, and spinach gnocchi (which are made with potatoes, flour, and spinach, as well as the addition of various other herbs if required), similar to Tuscan gnudi which distinctively contains less flour; Campanian strangulaprievete are flour-based gnocchi, just like Apulian cavatielli and Sardinian malloreddus, and so on. Gnocchi is commonly cooked on their own in boiling salted water and dressed with various sauces depending on the type, and recipe used. Some gnocchi can be made from pieces of cooked polenta or semolina, which is spread out to dry and then layered with cheese and butter and finished in the oven.

Gnocchi is eaten as a first course (primo piatto), as an alternative to soups (minestre) or pasta. It is generally home-made in Italian and diaspora Italian households. It may also be bought fresh from specialty stores. In supermarkets, industrially produced packaged gnocchi is widely available refrigerated, dried, or frozen. Common accompaniments of gnocchi include melted butter with sage, pesto, as well as various sauces.

Gnocchi can be purchased ready made from grocery stores or they can be hand made. Their preparation is similar to pasta as they are cooked by boiling and then served with a sauce. If miniature gnocchi is wanted for soup they can be made by pressing the dough through a coarse sieve or a perforated spoon.