Gnocchi

Gnocchi are little dumplings, normally made of potato, boiled and served in a sauce. Their name may derive from gnocco (‘idiot’), but seems more likely to stem from nodo (‘node’, or ‘knot’ as in wood). This refers to an ancient folktale about a poor wife who laments she has nothing to cook for her husband as he returns from war. She is overheard by a kindly old tree who offers her its knots to boil for him: she accepts, and the gnarled bits of wood turn into fluffy dumplings when the wife lifts the lid from the pot.