What is “semolina”?

Most of you know we make our fresh pasta from a very traditional recipe of semolina, local eggs and water, but how many of you know exactly what semolina is?  To be honest, I had to do a bit of research myself the first time I was asked.

Semolina is the milled endosperm of the durum wheat kernel.  That really clears things up, right? The endosperm is the tissue around the plant embryo inside the seed kernel.  It is full of nutrients intended to supply food to the the seed through germination, and those starches and proteins are also nutritious for human consumption as well.

Durum wheat is a species of wheat that is high in protein and relatively low in gluten.  While not conducive to the rising process of most bread and pastries, durum is perfectly suited for pasta-making, and is also known as “macaroni wheat.”

Hope this was helpful. It’s always good to know what we are eating!