Born from poor Italian cuisine, it won over wealthy families and became more sophisticated over time.
Gnocchi is one of those Italian recipes that gives us comfort. The well-known Italian dish combines flavor and history.
Throughout Italy's history, the hardships of wartime left at least one positive legacy: in the face of the shortage of ingredients, gnocchi emerged, mums e nonnas They exercised their creativity and left us recipes that have become culinary classics.
Although historians cannot pinpoint the exact moment, it is known that the first gnocchi dish was produced in the 17th century.
According to Sílvio Lancellotti, author of “The classic kitchen book” (Editora L&PM), rationed wheat flour was not lacking in the pantries of the rich, who continued to cook their pasta. The poor had to invent a way to transform stale bread into their daily paste – grated or ground, the bread was mixed with a little flour and hot water.
The dough was shaped into cylinders and cut into small pieces, which were then cooked in water or in a vegetable and chicken bone broth. And wouldn't it be good? Over time, even the rich copied the idea.
The potato was the last to enter history, as it arrived in Europe in the 18th century.
Today, each region of Italy has its own version of gnocchi (the spelling in Italian). There are recipes with eggs, chestnut flour and even sweet preparations. Names vary – cavatelli (Molise and Apúlia) and I would piss (Emilia-Romagna) –, shaped like a shell, sometimes with grooves made in a specific board, are some examples.
See step-by-step how to make gnocchi, with chef Renato Carioni
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