This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on Semolina is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:
Related Sponsors
| Semolina, unenriched Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy 360 kcal 1510 kJ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient database |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Semolina is the purified middlings of hard wheat used in making pasta; also, the coarse middlings used for breakfast cereals and puddings.
Contents |
Production
Modern milling of wheat into flour is a system 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, and 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
There are two main types of semolina sold on the general market. Durum semolina, made from hard wheat, and soft wheat semolina, also known as farina or by the trade name Cream of Wheat, used as a hot breakfast cereal and for desserts such as semolina milk pudding. In North India, semolina is known as Suji; in South India, Rava or Ravey. In Turkey, Semolina is known as İrmik.
Semolina made from durum wheat or other hard wheats (that are easier to grow than durum) is yellow in color. It is usually prepared with the main dish, either boiled with water into a pasty substance, e.g. as gnocchi (in Italy), or as the basis for dried products such as couscous (North Africa), and bulgur (Turkey and the Levant). Couscous is made by mixing roughly 2 parts semolina with 1 part durum flour. 2
Semolina from softer types of wheats is almost white in color. In the United States it has come to be known by the trade name cream of Wheat. The particles of are fairly coarse, between 0.25 and 0.75 millimetres in diameter. When boiled, it turns into a soft, mushy porridge. This semolina is popular in North Western 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 and Russia, it is eaten as breakfast porridge, sometimes mixed with raisins and served with milk.
More broadly speaking, meal produced from other grains 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, as well as sweets such as suji halwa. A popular dessert in Greece ("Halvas"), Cyprus ("Halouvas"), Turkey ("Helva"), Iran ("Halva"), and by 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 and the Middle East, 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
- ^ Wayne Gisslen (2001), Professional Baking, John Wiley & Sons
- ^ Grain product basics - semolina and couscous
- ^ "Couscous". www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu. Retrieved on 2008-05-12.
Recipes
- Semolina Halvah (a Turkish Dessert)
- Banana and semolina sheera
- Galaktoboureko (Greek dessert)
- Semolina porridge
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 1 December 2008, at 21:21.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Semolina".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.