semolina

Picture of semolina (with a US penny (19 mm) to indicate scale)

Semolina grains

Semolina is the purified middlings of durum wheat used in making pasta; also, the coarse middlings are used for breakfast cereals and puddings.

Name

The term "semolina" derives from the Italian word "semola" that derives from the ancient Latin simila, meaning "flour", itself a borrowing from Greek σεμῖδαλις "groats". Though present in Latin and Greek, the word is not Indo-European in origin, but a loan word from the Semitic root smd - to grind into groats. The root is attested in Arabic, Aramaic and Akkadian. In Arabic, semolina is referred to as samîd, also spelled sameed.

Semolina, made from durum wheat, is known in North India as Sooji; in South India, Ravey in Kannada, Rava/Ravam/Ravai (இரவை) in Telugu/Tamil, in Tamilnadu, the semolina is also made of rice. In Turkey, semolina is known as irmik.

Production

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 particles are separated from the bran and this is semolina. 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 due to the fact that the inner part of the endosperm tends to break down into smaller pieces than the outer part. Different grades of flour can be thus produced.^[1]

Types

Semolina made from durum wheat is yellow in color. It is usually the basis for dried products such as couscous (North Africa), and bulgur (Turkey, Cyprus and the Levant). Couscous is made by mixing roughly 2 parts semolina with 1 part durum flour. ^[2]

When flour comes from softer types of wheats it is white in color. In this case the correct name is flour, not Semolina which comes only from durum wheat. In the United States, coarser meal coming from softer types of wheats is known also as farina or by the trade name Cream of Wheat. In Germany, Austria and Hungary, it 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 millimetres in diameter.

When boiled, it turns into a soft, mushy porridge. This flour is popular in northwestern Europe and North America as a dessert, boiled with milk and sweetened, called semolina pudding. It is often flavored with vanilla and served with jam. In Sweden, Lithuania 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 bilberries, as blåbärsgröt. In the Middle East, it is used to make desserts called Harisa or so called Basbosa or Nammora.

More 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.)

In South India, semolina is used to make such delicacies as rava dosa and upma. In North India it is used for sweets such as suji halwa. A popular dessert in Greece ("Halvas"), Cyprus ("Halouvas" or "Helva"), Turkey ("Helva"), Iran ("Halva"), Pakistan ("Halva"), and Arab countries ("Halwa") is sometimes made with semolina scorched with sugar, butter, milk, and pine nuts. In some cultures, it is served at funerals, during special celebrations, or as a religious offering. In much of North Africa , durum semolina is made into the staple couscous.^[3]

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 produces a tasty crust.

References

• Semolina

Recipes

• Semolina Halvah (a Turkish Dessert)
• Banana and semolina sheera
• Galaktoboureko (Greek dessert)
• Semolina porridge

Galaktoboureko (Greek semolina dessert)

Hreesa or Basbosah in the Middle East (Semolina cake)

Rava dosa (Semolina Pancake)- a South Indian dish or breakfast, made with Bombay rava