When one thinks of Italian cuisine, gnocchi often comes to mind: they are comforting and delicious, and go well with plenty of sauces. Unlike the harder, durum wheat pasta varieties, gnocchi are soft, pillowy dumplings, made using a wide range of ingredients and many regional variations exist: from the traditional potato gnocchi to those made with spinach and ricotta, all the way to the iconic gnocchi alla romana, made with semolina. The history and evolution of this dish is long and interesting, and it deserves to be told…

First recorded in Renaissance-era cookbooks in the 16th century, early versions of gnocchi were made without potatoes; these first first recipes were created by Renaissance chefs like Cristoforo Messisbugo and Bartolomeo Scappi, and included ingredients like flour, breadcrumbs, and even ground almonds. The dumplings were then boiled and seasoned with butter, cheese, and spices.