If It's the 29th... It's Gnocchi Day In Argentina!

We first read about gnocchi day on the menu of an Argentine restaurant, which only serves the dish on the 29th of every month. And since we're still celebrating Escapes Month here at AT and the Kitchn, we thought we'd highlight this delicious tradition from an escape-worthy destination...

Multiple websites offer two reasons for the origin of this holiday, called ñoquis del 29:

1. Italian immigrants brought the tradition with them to Argentina, and the 29th is the day San Pantaleon, a patron saint of Venice, was canonized.

2. Families made gnocchi towards the end of the month, as money was running low and simple ingredients (potato, flour) were all that they had on hand.

Argentines also place money under each dinner plate as a token of prosperity to come. We love any food tradition that gives us a more meaningful reason to eat a favorite dish (other than hunger), and lucky us — we have a package of gnocchi from Buon Italia in our freezer.

These photos are from Emma's recipe for Easy Ricotta Gnocchi, which we think would be an ideal way to celebrate, homemade-style.

Happy Gnocchi Day, everyone!

Related: Recipes for National Pie Day

(Images: Emma Christensen)

Comments (5)

I've wanted to go to Argentina just to eat the food. A friend went down for a wedding and had the most fabulous banquet -- all the different food cultures coming together, all the grass-fed beef -- they started at 10:30 and kept serving through 3am!

posted by Michelle of Montreal on August 29th 2008 at 7:25am
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Does anyone have a recipe for gnocci that doesn't rely on weight? I have a TON of potatoes that have been piling up from my CSA, but I don't have a scale so I can't measure out a certain number of pounds of potato.

I'm looking for an approximate size and count or cup measurement. Then I could make these little fluffy dumplings of deliciousness for myself! :)

posted by roseslaw on August 29th 2008 at 9:29am
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What a co-ink-y-dink, I was thinking about making gnocchi today.

posted by jamiealyse on August 29th 2008 at 10:02am
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@roseslaw,

you could experiment. Just roast the potatoes, peel and smash them with a fork while they are still hot, add a little salt, let them cool to room temp., add a few eggs (roughly one per # of potato) and some flour and knead gently til you get a good cohesive dough.

Try rolling out a few and cooking them. If they fall apart in the water, add more flour and try again.

I have also heard that Argentina is an amazing place to go to eat. And very affordable.

posted by art on August 29th 2008 at 10:44am
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When I make mashed potatoes, my family always asks me to make extras so we can have gnocchi the next day. I just add an egg yolk, and flour and cornstarch to make the dough. Dough must not be sticky. I noticed the gnocchi in the picture has not been rolled over a fork, an important step to make them lighter, instead of a clump of dough.

posted by katalina on August 29th 2008 at 6:26pm
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