Semolina

Semolina is the coarse, purified wheat middlings of durum wheat used in making pasta, breakfast cereals, puddings, and couscous.^[1] The term semolina is also used to designate coarse middlings from other varieties of wheat, and from other grains, such as rice and maize.

Name

Semolina is derived from the Italian word semola, meaning 'bran'.^[2] This is derived from the ancient Latin simila, meaning 'flour', itself a borrowing from Greek σεμίδαλις (semidalis), "groats". The words simila, semidalis, groat, and grain may all have similar proto-Indo-European origins as two Sanskrit terms for wheat, samita and godhuma, or may be loan words from the Semitic root smd – to grind into groats (cf. Arabic: سميد‎ samīd).^[3]

Production

Semolina

Modern milling of wheat into flour is a process that employs grooved steel rollers. The rollers are adjusted so that the space between them is slightly narrower than the width of the wheat kernels. As the wheat is fed into the mill, the rollers flake off the bran and germ while the starch (or endosperm) is cracked into coarse pieces in the process. Through sifting, these endosperm particles, the semolina, are separated from the bran. The semolina is then ground into flour. This greatly simplifies the process of separating the endosperm from the bran and germ, as well as making it possible to separate the endosperm into different grades because the inner part of the endosperm tends to break down into smaller pieces than the outer part. Different grades of flour can thus be produced.^[4]

Types

Semolina grains in close-up

Semolina made from durum wheat is yellow in color.^[5] Semolina is often used as the base for dried products such as couscous, which is made by mixing roughly 2 parts semolina with 1 part durum flour (finely ground semolina).^[6]

Broadly speaking, meal produced from grains other than wheat may also be referred to as semolina, e.g. rice semolina, or corn semolina (more commonly known as grits in the U.S.)

When semolina comes from softer types of wheats, it is white in color. In this case, the correct name is flour, not semolina. In the United States, coarser meal coming from softer types of wheats is known also as farina.

Dishes

Savory

Boiled semolina turns into a porridge, known in some areas as Cream of Wheat. In Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Slovenia, Romania and Croatia, semolina is known as Grieß (a word related to "grits") and is mixed with egg to make Grießknödel, which can be added to soup. The particles are fairly coarse, between 0.25 and 0.75 millimeters in diameter.

Rava dosa with chutney from Karnataka

In South India, semolina is used to make savory foods, like Rava dosa and Upma. It is sometimes also used to coat slices of fish before it is pan-fried in oil, to give it a crispy coating.

In much of North Africa, durum semolina is made into the staple couscous. It is also used to make harsha, a kind of griddle cake often eaten for breakfast, commonly with jam or honey.^[7]

Semolina is a common food in West Africa, especially among Nigerians. It is eaten as either lunch or dinner with stew or soup. It is prepared just like eba (cassava flour) or fufu with water and boiled for 5 to 10 minutes.

Sweet

Dutch semolina pudding with a redcurrant sauce

Whipped semolina and redcurrant dessert

In Austria, Hungary, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, Croatia and the Czech Republic, semolina is cooked with water or milk and sweetened with squares of chocolate to make the breakfast dish Grießkoch or Grießbrei. The German Grießbrei and the Dutch griesmeelpap usually don't contain chocolate and are rather served as a dessert than a breakfast dish. In English this kind of dessert is commonly known as semolina pudding.

In Slovakia, Sweden, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Ukraine and Russia, it is eaten as breakfast porridge, sometimes mixed with raisins and served with milk. In Swedish it is known as mannagrynsgröt, or boiled together with blueberries, as blåbärsgröt. In Sweden, Estonia, Finland and Latvia, for a dessert usually eaten in summer, semolina is boiled together with juice from berries and then whipped into a light, airy consistency to create klappgröt (Swedish name), also known as vispipuuro (Finnish name) or mannavaht (Estonian name) or uzpūtenis (Latvian name). In the Middle East, it is used to make desserts called harisa, or so-called basbosa or nammora.

In Pakistan and India, semolina (called Suji) is used for such sweets as Halwa and Rava Kesari. Such a preparation is also a popular dessert in Greece (halvas) and Cyprus (halvas or helva). In Greece, the dessert galaktoboureko is made by making a custard from the semolina and then wrapping it in phyllo sheets. In Cyprus, the semolina may be mixed also with almond cordial to create a light, water-based pudding. In Turkey ("Helva"), Bulgaria ("Halva"), Iran ("Halva"), Pakistan ("Halva"), Israel ("Khalva"), and Arab countries, halawa is sometimes made with semolina scorched with sugar, butter, milk, and pine nuts. In Nepal, semolina is called Suji and is used for preparing sweet dishes like Haluwa (Nepali equivalent of Indian and Pakistani Halwa) or Puwa.

Basbousa (North African and Alexandrine harisa) is made chiefly of semolina. In some cultures, it is served at funerals, during special celebrations, or as a religious offering.

In baking

As an alternative to corn meal, semolina can be used to flour the baking surface to prevent sticking. In bread making, a small proportion of durum semolina added to the usual mix of flour is said to produce a tasty crust.

References

Wheat History Domestication Shattering Neolithic Revolution Tell Abu Hureyra Tell Aswad Triticeae Types Common Durum Einkorn Emmer Khorasan Norin 10 Red Fife Spelt Winter wheat Agronomy Wheat diseases (list) Wheat mildew Hessian fly Trade Australian Wheat Board Canadian Wheat Board Corn exchange Exports International Wheat Council Peak wheat Production statistics Protein premium Wheat pools in Canada Parts of the plant and their uses Stalk Straw Seed Bran Germ Chaff (husk) Endosperm Gluten Basic preparations of the kernel None Wheat berry Milling Farina Flour (types) Middlings Semolina Parboiling Bulgur As an ingredient Bread Couscous Cracker Flatbread Pasta Wheat beer Wheat germ oil Wheat gluten Associated human diseases Anaphylaxis Gluten-related disorders (including coeliac disease, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, wheat allergy, dermatitis herpetiformis and gluten ataxia) Related concepts Bread riot Plant breeding Refined grains Staple food Wheatpaste Whole grain Further information

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