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= Gnocchi = 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   , and with or without flavourings of herbs, vegetables, or sweet things like cocoa or prunes. When making the dough for gnocchi it is often rolled out, then cut into small pieces of about the size of a cork. They are then pressed with a fork of a cheese grater in order to give them a ridged texture allowing them to hold sauce better. The alternative to this would be to just cut the dough into little lumps that are directly placed into boiling water. 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 sort of 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 are eaten as a first course (primo piatto), as an alternative to soups (minestre) or pasta. They are generally home-made in Italian and diaspora Italian households. They may also be bought fresh from speciality stores. In supermarkets, industrially produced packaged gnocchi are widely available refrigerated, dried, or frozen. Common accompaniments of gnocchi include melted butter with sage, pesto, and various sauces.

Origin
The word gnocchi may derive from the Italian word nocchio, meaning a knot in wood, or from nocca (meaning knuckle). It has been a traditional type of Italian pasta of (probable) Middle Eastern origin since Roman times. It was introduced by the Roman legions during the expansion of the empire into the countries of the European continent. In the past 2,000 years, each country developed its own specific type of small dumpling, with the ancient gnocchi as their common ancestor. In Roman times, gnocchi were made from a semolina porridge-like dough mixed with eggs, and are still found in similar forms today, particularly the oven-baked gnocchi alla romana and Sardinia's malloreddus (although these do not contain eggs).

The use of potato is a relatively recent innovation, occurring after the introduction of the potato to Europe in the 16th century. Potato gnocchi are particularly popular in Abruzzo, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Veneto, Ciociaria and other provinces of Latium. As with other mashed potato dishes they are best prepared with starchy potatoes to keep a light texture.

The origin of gnocchi is related to pasta, since a similar mixture was originally used to make both gnocchi and pasta and historically they were both called ‘m’caroni’. In some parts of Italy the original flour and water mixture is still used, however dating back to about 1860 they are now mostly made of potato flour and a small amount of wheat flour.

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.

Strangulapreti, also known as “priest chokers” of Lucao are also commonly made from pasta dough. The process of priests choking on gnocchi is known to be a favored one. Examples include strozzapreti, which is made from spinach dough in Tuscany; and strangulaprivete which is formed from a conventional potato mixture in Naples. In Mantua, gnocchi di zucca are made from pumpkin, with the assistance of wheat flour, enabling the dough to bind. Moreover, they are of an attractive golden color, and are usually served plain with cheese and butter.

Other examples of gnocchi include the Roman homemade kind. Made from a boiled potato farina and egg mixture, it is cut into flat rounds with a glass; and the Sardinian malloreddus, which is made from a very plain flour and water dough pressed with the thumb against a textured surface, curls up into the form of a giant woodlice when cooked.

Ingredients and Breakdown
Dried packaged gnocchi contains the following fundamental ingredients:
 * 1) Extra Fancy Flour (Durum wheat, or hard white wheat flour, or a combination of them) - The addition of the flour is used in order to control the moisture content, and add to the pasty texture of the paste that is kneaded and dried in order to create dried gnocchi extrusions, which are shaped.
 * 2) Potato Flakes Or Potatoes, but for dried gnocchi, it is essentially comprised of potatoes
 * 3) Water
 * 4) Egg (Optional)

Manufacturing
Gnocchi can be either homemade, or it can be industrially manufactured and produced on massive scales, and sold in super markets.

Dried Extrusion Gnocchi
Due to the various varieties of Gnocchi during manufacturing, pertaining to the United States version of the making and preservation of dried extrusion gnocchi invented by Maya Parada, James Francis Santagata in 1996 and patented. The mix is prepared by blending the potato flakes, wheat flour, and water are mixed into a homogeneous paste, of which is then kneaded in order to increase homogeneity, and additionally kneading if afterwards between the temperatures of 80° F. to 140° F, as well as between the pressures of 500 to 1000 psi.. Afterwards, this mixture is shaped into gnocchi shapes and dried.

Industrial Manufactured Gnocchi
The study conducted with the potato puree showed that, between the two samples analyzed, the product which engaged in dual lower pressure treatments resulted to be the most suitable in the production of gnocchi in terms of its better physicochemical and textural properties. However, it did not provide evidence for aggregation phenomena responsible for the hard lumps, which may occur in this type of semi-finished product. Moreover, the textural properties of gnocchi dough were not influenced by the different formulation as was expected.

Among the ingredients involved in the preparation of the different samples, what seemed to be the biggest factor affecting the quality features of gnocchi dough was soft wheat flour. As a result of the interactive effect of the ingredients on the physicochemical and textural traits of the different types of dough, a uniform and well-defined division among the samples was not obtained. When comparing the different kinds of gnocchi, the optimal physicochemical and textural properties were detected in the sample, which was made with fresh tubers. Not only was this caused by the use of fresh steam cooked potatoes, but the pasteurized liquid eggs and the absence of any kind of emulsifier, additive, or preserving substance played a role as well.

Storing and Packaging
The maintenance of moisture content through the combination of the mixed paste of potato flakes, wheat, and egg is limited to under 30% moisture content, frozen, and then pasteurized. Gnocchi that is home made is usually consumed on the same day that it is made, whereas industrially manufactured gnocchi has a shelf life of approximately 2 months at 2 degrees Celsius.

Modified Atmosphere Packaging

Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) with a low temperature was found to keep fresh filled pasta mold, pathogen and microorganism growth free for forty-two days. It was determined that an air-packaged sample of fresh filled pasta grew mold within seven to fourteen days.

Commercial gnocchi are often sold under modified atmospheric packaging. Since the main ingredients of gnocchi is potato, it is subject to enzymatic browning if stored in air. As most gnocchi do not contain meat, they are best packaged under sealed containers with an atmosphere of >80% CO2 in order to achieve a shelf-life of two weeks at 4°C.

In relationship to Clostridium species

Trace amount of Clostridium species may be present in the ingredient during industrial production. However, when placed under modified atmospheric packaging (N2/H2/CO2, 85:10:5) and stored below 12°C, production of toxins of the said species do not start within 75 days. When the package is contaminated with Clostridium species and stored at 20°C, the content becomes toxic before its intended shelf life. With the addition of sorbic acid, the previously mentioned condition will result in no detectable toxin production in the contents after 75 days.

The water activity of gnocchi is between 0.936 and 0.983 and its pH ranges from 4.8 to 6.4. These water activity and pH values would support the growth of Clostridium botulinum spores if it is not stored properly at the correct temperature.

Regional varieties
One variety, gnocchi di pane (literally "bread lumps"), derived from the Semmelknödel, is made from breadcrumbs and is popular in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. Another variety from the latter region is spinach gnocchi.

Croatia
Gnocchi are a very popular and often served 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'.

France
The name is also used in France in the dish known as gnocchis à la parisienne, a hot dish comprising gnocchi formed of choux pastry served with Béchamel sauce.

A specialty of Nice, the gnocchi de tantifla a la nissarda, is made with potatoes and wheat flour.

A variant of gnocchi de tantifla a la nissarda is la merda dé can, literally, "the dog shit". It is made with potatoes, wheat flour, eggs and blette (Swiss chard), which is also used for the tourte de blette. La merda dé can is longer than the original gnocchi.

South America
Due to the significant number of Italian immigrants who arrived in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, gnocchi, ñoqui (Spanish, ) or nhoque (Portuguese, ) is a popular dish, even in areas with few Italian immigrants. In Brazil, 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.