Pastina (lit.'little pasta') is a variety of pasta consisting of tiny pieces, typically of a round (irregular) shape with a diameter of about 1.6 millimetres (1/16").[1] It is the smallest type of pasta produced. It is made of wheat flour and may also include egg. Pastina is a general term referring to many small shapes of pasta. Pastina is used in many different ways in Italian cuisine, including as an ingredient of soup, desserts, infant food and also, alone, as a distinct and unique pasta dish.[2] In Italian culture, pastina is referred to as “Italian penicillin” which is every Italian grandmother’s cure for anything.[3]Stanley Tucci’s follow-up memoir “What I Ate in One Year (and Related Thoughts)” mentions in his book cooking pastina, “that Italian cure-all,” for his son.[4]
