Struffoli are native to the Southern Italian region of Naples but are widely popular all over Italy. The nuns used to prepare them in the convents and gave them to the noble families. Some think the Greeks, who colonized the Gulf of Naples in the 7th century BC, brought the original Struffoli recipe to Italy. In Greek cuisine, the greek word is “loukoumades," which are small sweet balls covered with sugar, similar to our Italian struffoli.