Small Italian pasta pieces shaped like tiny ridged shells or dumplings, often served with sauce.
From Italian, diminutive of 'gnocchi' (from Old High German 'knohha' meaning 'knuckle'), combining the Germanic root with the Italian diminutive suffix '-etti.' The shape references the knuckle-like appearance of the pasta.
Gnocchetti proves how food words travel: a German word for 'knuckle' became Italian pasta, then spread globally, and now appears in English menus—it's like watching cultures exchange gifts through cuisine.
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