Pastina

Pastina is pasta at the scale of a grain, and it behaves like one. Stars, seeds, rings, and tiny tubes are made for broth, soup, and the bowls of children and convalescents. At this size, surface ratios flip: the shapes absorb rather than carry, which is why a handful of pastina thickens a soup and why toasted orzo can impersonate risotto. It is the most domestic family, the one most Italians met first, and the one search engines underestimate. The word can also name a single product: Ronzoni's Pastina is a stelline star, while orzo is the rice-shaped member of the family.

Compare the family

Shape	Section	Cook (min)	Surface
Acini di pepe	tiny bead	9-11	smooth
Alfabeto	tiny letter shapes	8	textured
Anellini	tiny ring	n/a	smooth
Ditalini	tiny straight tube	7-11	ridged
Fideos	short thin strand	n/a	smooth
Fregola	irregular toasted bead, graded fine to coarse	10	textured
Orzo	flattened grain, rice shape	5-11	smooth
Quadrucci	small flat square of egg pasta	2-4	smooth
Stelline	tiny five or six pointed star, often with a center hole	4-7	smooth