“Also known as Bacanal del Gnoco, it is the most awaited event of the Carnival of Verona. It features a parade of masked figures, including Papà del Gnoco, who holds a giant golden fork with a big gnocco on top. At the end of the colourful parade, he distributes hot potato gnocchi dishes to everyone,” explains Giancarlo Perbellini, chef and owner of Verona’s two Michelin-starred Casa Perbellini.
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It is said that this tradition came about due to a famine in 1531, which resulted in a scarcity of food and prohibitively high prices for flour. Riots followed, only ending when a collective of wealthy citizens distributed flour to the masses. One in particular, Tommaso da Vico, wrote in his will that each year part of his wealth should be used to distribute wine and ingredients for making gnocchi. This led to the tradition of making and eating gnocchi on the last Friday before lent, morphing over time to become an important element of the annual carnival.
Incidentally, Verona was where I first experienced gnocchi befitting of its desired description: light and fluffy pillows.
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History and origin
The first official gnocchi recipe is attributed to Roman gourmet Marcus Gavius Apicius, dating back to the 1st century AD; a mix of semolina flour and water (or milk), fried, seasoned with honey and black pepper – a recipe that is similar to its contemporary counterpart, gnocchi alla romana.
There are a number of sources that claim that the original semolina gnocchi has a Middle Eastern origin, although most references use the term “probable” with no real proof.
Perbellini adds, “There are different stories about the origin of gnocchi. The first gnocchi were made with water and flour or bread. In some Italian regions the tradition of bread gnocchi, gnocchi di pane, still survives today. When potatoes first arrived in Italy they were used to feed the animals, it was not until the late 1800s that potato gnocchi became part of the cuisine.”
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In The Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson writes that the origin of gnocchi is inescapably tied up with that of pasta, partly because at first a similar mixture (of flour and water) was used to make both.
This connection to pasta still exists. “In Europe, dishes are often categorised as starters, pasta dishes, and mains. Gnocchi is a variation of a pasta dish,” says Italian native Maurizio Pace, head chef of La Petite Maison in Hong Kong.
Davidson also writes, “The original flour and water mixture is still used in some parts of Italy, but mostly they are now made from potato flour with a little wheat flour.” Or made from potato, with the addition of a small amount of flour and sometimes an egg yolk.
Gnocchi’s secret
For professionals, transforming these few ingredients into a memorable dish begins with the potato variety.
Pace explains: “The two biggest secrets behind La Petite Maison’s fluffy and light gnocchi are the potato variety and the low amount of flour. We carefully choose the type of potatoes as this then allows us to use less flour than the usual recipes.”
The type of potato chosen is based on the season. “However, a good type to use in general is the Désirée. Finally, we also bake the potato whole, in its skin, instead of steaming or boiling,” he adds.
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Perbellini agrees that the choice of potato is important. “Potato gives personality to gnocchi, but you have to choose the right one. Then the amount of flour and eggs used plays a role. At Casa Perbellini, we make potato gnocchi with only a small amount of potato flour and some dry breadcrumbs. I add bread because my aunt Ines used to do it and her gnocchi were superb. I still use her recipe, which is based on feeling the dough to know what is needed, more than measuring ingredients.”
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“When you take gnocchi out of the water, once cooked, the light ones are more fragile in appearance. If they do turn out to be texturally heavy, pan-fry them,” says Perbellini.
Pace agrees, “The main thing to look for is the shape; usually when heavy and dense the overall shape is very defined, when fluffy and light the shape is more gentle and natural looking, however visually the difference is subtle.”
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Italy and beyond
For Perbellini, potato gnocchi is Italian comfort food. “In its simplicity it’s an incredible dish, it’s always tasty and you can cook it in many ways.”
Some of these many ways are regional. For example, says Perbellini, in the north of Italy gnocchi are often paired with cheese and fondue, and in the south, fish stew.
There are also Italian variations that use no potato. Instead made from semolina, day-old bread, bread and spinach, Parmesan cheese, ricotta and spinach, pumpkin and even rice.
Gnocchi’s popularity extends beyond Italy, with other European countries putting a local spin on it, including Austria, Croatia, Poland and France, the latter known for gnocchis à la parisienne, made from choux pastry.
It has even made its mark in parts of South America, particularly Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, thanks in part to large numbers of Italian immigrants. Called ñoqui, they are traditionally eaten on the 29th of each month for luck, although it seems no one quite knows why this habit developed with varying unproven theories.
This monthly habit has also given rise to ñoqui being a slang term in Uruguay and Argentina for a corrupt public official who only goes to the office on the 29th of each month, and only to collect their salary.
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