The magical powers people once believed food had

You might be surprised to learn how many foods, now common in our kitchens, were once imbued with mystical and magical significance. Even today, some are still aligned with certain medicinal properties. Take, for example, so-called Jewish penicillin - the common nickname for chicken soup. Of course, the broth doesn’t contain antibiotics but having soup when you’re feeling unwell helps to keep you hydrated.

If you didn’t grow up with a grandmother feeding you chicken soup, maybe you had a “nonna” instead - Italian for grandmother. Chances are she insisted on feeding you pastina, one of the smallest pasta shapes, to help you feel better when you were sick. For some reason, Italian families passed down through generations the magic that is pastina.