What is Semolina?

Coarse Granular Yellow Flour

Semolina is a coarse or granular yellow flour milled from hard durum wheat and used to make traditional pasta.and other products like breakfast cereals, puddings, and couscous. 

Semolina is made by coarsely milling the endosperm of durum wheat kernel or grain (the bran and germ is removed). This course flour is also referred to as durum semolina.To make pasta, semolina is mixed with water to form a stiff dough that is used in the process of pasta making of different shapes.

Coarse flour produced from other grains other than wheat may also be referred to as semolina, e.g Rice semolina, Corn semolina (also referred to as grit in the US)

When semolina is made from softer types of wheat, it’s white in colour and in this case, the correct name is not semolina but Farina.

Other Uses of Semolina

Semolina is used to make hot breakfast cereal and desserts

Water can be added to semolina and the mixture boiled to produce semolina porridge (also known as cream of wheat).

In South India semolina is used to make savoury foods like Rava dosa and Upma. In Pakistan, and India it’s used to make sweets e.g. Suji Halwa, Rava kesari.

Semolina can be used to substitute cornmeal in baking.

Semolina can be used to coat fish slices, which are then pan-fried in oil to give a crispy coating.

Semolina can be milled to produce a fine flour called durum flour which is used to make artisan bread and cookies.