Baby's first food in Italy

[malika]

I'm the mother of an almost-six-month-old, and I'm thinking a lot about how to raise a daughter with a good palette. Rice cereal (the traditional first food in America) doesn't seem like a good start-- I certainly wouldn't eat it very happily.

So I'm wondering about other countries and other traditions-- What's the traditional first food for babies in Italy?

(I'm also going to post this in the following forums: France, Spain, Japan, India, China, Middle East, and Mexico. Apologies to those who run across this question in other places!)

Edited September 8, 2006 by malika (log)

[divina]

a funny story from FAbio Picchi of Cibreo restaurant...

a woman with a baby came in and asked the kitchen to heat up a jar of baby food, he tasted it.. spit it out..and then added some fabulous aged parmesan cheese and extra virgine olive oil... brought it out to the lady..and her baby ate it all up... without complaining.

she asked waht fabio had done.. he said.. have YOU ever tasted this... and then explained the secret!

[pedie]

I can only speak for Italian-American families, but all infants in our family started out with Pastina with a little butter and milk. as their first "solid." They scoffed at "pablum" babies.

[bleudauvergne]

What's a 'pablum' baby?

[SuzySushi]

What's a 'pablum' baby? 

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Pablum was an instant baby cereal developed by Canadian pediatricians in the 1930s and marketed in Canada and the United Statesas the ideal "first food" at least through the baby boom generation. It was nutritional, but very bland.

[ppace]

My daughter is 3 months old, while it will be awhile, my Italian born wife (we were actually talking about this yesterday) has already mentioned Pastina as a "first food" I'm pretty sure pastina is the offical first food for babies in Italy

[scordelia]

When we took our 6 month old to Italy, she really grooved on the rabbit pate baby food from the local grocery store.

[little ms foodie]

a funny story from FAbio Picchi of Cibreo restaurant...

a woman with a baby came in and asked the kitchen to heat up a jar of baby food, he tasted it.. spit it out..and then added some fabulous aged parmesan cheese and extra virgine olive oil... brought it out to the lady..and her baby ate it all up... without complaining.

she asked waht fabio had  done.. he said.. have YOU ever tasted this... and then explained the secret!

←

that's funny, we were just in Parma and while on a tour of the factory we were told that parmesean cheese is one of a baby's first foods as it digests in 40 minutes very easily. she said that parm and a little evoo was added to veggie broth. later they continued to add it to cereal and then pasta for babies.

[Domestic Goddess]

I'm not italian but Filipino. I just wanna add that in the Philippines, one of the baby's first food is rice porridge called "lugaw". It is rice simmered in chicken broth with chicken bits in it. The soup is infused with ginger, onions and toasted garlic. It's my favorite comfort food.

[rooftop1000]

I can only speak for Italian-American families, but all infants in our family started out with Pastina with a little butter and milk. as their first "solid."  They scoffed at "pablum" babies.

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After the pastina you can move up to Acini di Pepe also with milk and butter. That works well until the age of ....at least 38 so far

grandma said the little star pasta sticks to the ceiling

tracey

[rooftop1000]

I can only speak for Italian-American families, but all infants in our family started out with Pastina with a little butter and milk. as their first "solid."  They scoffed at "pablum" babies.

←

After the pastina you can move up to Acini di Pepe also with milk and butter. That works well until the age of ....at least 38 so far

grandma said the little star pasta sticks to the ceiling

tracey

[Sentiamo]

I agree that pastina is one of the first foods but just wait until a couple of years down the track. I was amazed ( read horrified) to see my niece and nephew breakfast on 1/2 packet of sweet biscuits softened in milk every morning!!

Then comes brioche/cornetto with cappuccino or a bowl of leftover polenta with sugar and milk. Rarely did I see muesli/cornflakes etc in any home. At least where I lived!

Still, there once was variety. I watched Genny devour a glass of Mirtilli in Grappa for breakfast once. It had been left on the table since night before. She was 4 years old.