Semolina Semolina Semolina is the coarse, purified wheat middlings of durum wheat mainly used in making pasta and couscous. The word "semolina" can also refer to sweet dessert made from semolina and milk. The term semolina is also used to designate coarse middlings from other varieties of wheat, and from other grains, such as rice and maize. "Semolina" is derived from the Italian word "semola", meaning 'bran'. 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
Semolina 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. It is lower grade (lower protein) and does not hold shape as well as durum. In Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Serbia, Slovenia, Romania and Croatia, semolina is known as "Grieß" (a word