Gnocchi and spätzle

Gnocchi and spätzle are small dumplings boiled in water and eaten like pasta: Italian gnocchi are soft pieces of dough made mainly from potato, ricotta or semolina, while spätzle from southern Germany, Austria and Switzerland are irregular noodles of a runny egg dough pressed or scraped straight into boiling water.

There is no general legal definition of gnocchi in the EU. Packaged gnocchi must list their ingredients and highlight allergens such as wheat and egg under Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011. Swabian spätzle and Swabian knöpfle, however, are a Protected Geographical Indication: under that name they must be made in Swabia according to a registered specification.

Classic potato gnocchi (gnocchi di patate) are made of floury boiled potatoes, wheat flour, salt and sometimes an egg. The less flour, the lighter the gnocchi, so cooks choose dry, starchy potatoes and mash them while still warm. Ricotta gnocchi replace most of the potato with fresh ricotta. Roman-style gnocchi (gnocchi alla romana) are discs of semolina cooked in milk, enriched with butter and parmesan and baked in the oven. Spätzle dough is simply wheat flour, eggs, a little water and salt, beaten until bubbles appear.

Gnocchi dough is rolled into ropes, cut into pieces and often pressed over a fork or a ridged board so the grooves hold the sauce. Spätzle are scraped off a wet board with a knife or pushed through a press or coarse sieve; knöpfle are the shorter, button-shaped version. Similar dumplings are known across Central Europe, such as Hungarian nokedli and Slovak halušky.

Both cook in a few minutes: gnocchi are ready shortly after they rise to the surface, spätzle once they float. Gnocchi go well with butter and sage, tomato sauce, pesto or Gorgonzola; spätzle accompany roasts and gravy or are layered with cheese and fried onions as Käsespätzle. Because they need only potatoes, flour, eggs or ricotta, they are a cheap and quick alternative to dry pasta and remain everyday family food.