29th of the month - ñoquis

Today is the 29th of the month. On the 29th of every month Argentines eat ñoquis - or gnocchi - pasta traditionally made from potatoes (though in my family we eat them made from ricotta). I love this tradition, though I have never had gnocchi here on the 29th. I only had them once (and they were not very good due to the sauce). Still, I am determined, one of these days to have gnocchi on the 29th, maybe even today.

The tradition of gnocchi on the 29th apparently goes back to 15th century Italy and a saint named Pantaleon. He was a doctor who was traveling through Venice and when he stopped and asked people for bread, they invited him into their homes. To thank them for their kindness, he promised them a great harvest the coming year. He was canonized on the 29th of some month, and for this reason the tradition of eating gnocchi on the 29th began (sorry I may be missing some details). Argentines put coins under their plate as a gesture of hoping for better economic times (maybe this custom will catch on in the US).

When I asked my teachers about this last year, they said that gnocchi are very cheap, since they are made from potatoes and flour. At the end of the month, people don't have a lot of money. Therefore, they have this cheap, simple meal and also hope for a better month ahead.

It's funny because for us growing up, gnocchi were always a special treat. We'd have them on holidays or a special Sunday dinner, because they are so labor intensive. I remember my grandmother straining a big pot of potatoes (that is before my mom discovered the recipe with ricotta) and then using this thing called a ricer that would squeeze the potatoes out through little holes (like a big garlic crusher). Then she'd mix the riced potatoes with flour and eggs, roll them out, cut then and then flip them with her thumb or a fork (I helped with this part). It took hours. It is funny that this Italian tradition came here to Argentina, but for us in New Jersey gnocchi were something entirely different. I think it might be a northern/southern Italian thing (San Pantaleon visited Venice).

Another interesting tidbit about ñoquis is that it is what people call certain government employees who only show up at the end of the month to get their paycheck. Raul told me about ñoquis when he was extolling the virtues of privitization. He said that when there were so many nationalized sectors of the economy (done under Peron), corruption was very common and there were many ñoquis - people who didn't show up until it was time to get paid.

Seems to me there is a problem with supervision and there could just as easily be ñoquis in the private sector.

Hmmm... now I am getting hungry. I think I'll finish up my leftover whole wheat spaghetti with tuna before I think about making gnocchi.

PS - so far today, vertigo free....