They either love it very much or categorically reject it. However, not many people know, especially for residents of large cities, how semolina grows and what it is made from. And the answer is actually very simple.
How is semolina grown?
In reality, you will not be able to find manna fields on earth. There is simply no such plant in nature. However, this does not mean that semolina is of artificial origin.
If we talk about what semolina is made from, it is traditional wheat. The same one from which bread appears on our tables. It's simple: if wheat is ground finely, flour is obtained. And if it’s big, then semolina.
When growing wheat, by the middle - by the end of summer, the grains located in the spikelet will ripen. After harvesting, the peeled grains are coarsely ground. Varietal grinding has the average size. This means that the semolina particle size ranges from 0.25 to 0.75 mm in diameter.
It is worth indicating what grain the semolina is made from. The fact is that not any wheat is suitable for making semolina. First of all, this is a hard variety, which farmers call the “T” brand. In addition, soft varieties are also used for the production of semolina, but of the “M” brand or a mixture of them.
Using semolina and its benefits
Unfortunately, it is impossible to call semolina exclusively. The fact is that the fiber content in it does not exceed 2%. At the same time, when it enters the stomach, semolina absorbs calcium from the body. Thus, calcium, which is so necessary for the bones of growing organisms, does not enter the blood, but is withdrawn. In addition, semolina contains a considerable amount of gluten, which can cause allergic reactions in some children, and even in adults. At the same time, semolina is perfectly absorbed by the gastrointestinal tract, cooks quickly and supplies a large amount of calories. For children who are not gaining weight well and in the postoperative period, semolina porridge is what the doctor ordered.
Everyone has ever wondered: what are they made from? semolina ? Semolina, familiar from childhood, is often found in cooking: in the form of all kinds of porridges, puddings, casseroles and soufflés. Semolina is added to soups and minced meat. Semolina porridge is given to children, the elderly and patients after surgery. Semolina has become so popular and independent that its origin has been completely forgotten. The appearance and taste of the cereal is, indeed, not very similar to the wheat from which it is produced.
HOW TO MAKE SEMONA
Semolina, or semolina, is obtained from wheat grains. During grinding, large particles are eliminated. They are called semolina. It turns out that semolina differs from flour only in the degree of grinding. For semolina it is coarser. Therefore, semolina is produced in flour mills, although it is considered a cereal. Semolina can be made from soft or durum wheat, or from a mixture of both. This is indicated when marking:
M – semolina from soft varieties. More suitable for liquid porridges and casseroles. White matte grains soon boil, increasing in volume. The porridges turn out light and homogeneous.
MT - from soft varieties with an admixture of up to 20% hard.
T – from durum varieties. Suitable for making desserts and adding to minced meat and soups. The grains are translucent, yellowish. The porridges come out crumbly and rich.
The main “advantages” of semolina are that it:
Prepares quickly, and therefore retains all valuable substances
Very nutritious and high in calories
Well absorbed
Contains almost no fiber. This allows you to use semolina for gastrointestinal diseases.
Semolina contains proteins, vitamin E, and vitamins C. V (1,2 and 6), min. substances, starch (almost 70%). It contains more potassium and vitamin E than rice.
FLAWS
What do we know about semolina? Many, without hesitation, will say “childish” and “healthy”. However, this is not quite true. - not a myth. Of course, this is not Coca Cola or chips, but this porridge cannot be called definitely healthy either. Judge for yourself: semolina contains a lot of phytin, which prevents calcium and vit from being absorbed. D. Adding berries or fruits to the porridge can interfere with the action of phytin.
Cereals also contain glyodine, which interferes with the intestines’ ability to absorb nutrients. In addition, it is difficult for a child’s body to digest so many carbohydrates that come with semolina. Therefore, it is not recommended to give semolina porridge to children under one year of age.
Another drawback is that semolina contains a large amount of gluten, which can cause allergies.
But for adults, semolina porridge is very useful. It is suitable for patients with digestive disorders. Thanks to its enveloping effect, it relieves spasms due to ulcers and gastritis. The same phytin is useful for older people. It prevents excessive mineralization of the body and promotes intestinal function. Semolina porridge with honey and dried fruits, cinnamon or vanilla is especially nutritious.
Semolina porridge should not be considered unambiguously harmful or useless. It helps to gain strength after operations, is indicated for any stomach diseases and renal failure. Tibetan medicine, for example, associates the health of the stomach, bones and teeth in older people with semolina porridge.
The origin of the name of this popular cereal is interesting. After all, the words “semolina” and “wheat” are not at all consonant. And if with buckwheat and millet everything is extremely clear in terms of name, then semolina is puzzling. But the fact is that the cereal is not simple, but... legendary. Wheat cereal is named semolina in honor of the biblical manna. Legendary
What is it made of, how to choose it correctly and how to cook semolina porridge so that it turns out delicious? The whole truth and lies about semolina.
The porridge is not as scary as it is made out to be
Almost all people whose childhood was during the Soviet years are wary of this product. Suffice it to remember that the notorious semolina porridge was a mandatory dish in kindergartens, as well as on the menu of hospitals. Rare child I haven’t thought about what semolina is made from, why it’s so disgusting.
By the way, in tsarist times this cereal was expensive, and they did not feast on it very often. In addition, cereals can be the basis not only for dietary cereals. It is used to make cakes, puddings, soufflés, mousses, pancakes, casseroles, cutlets, dumplings, jelly, and is even used for soups as a filling.
What is semolina made of?
Our porridges are made from cereals, and semolina is no exception. From what grain? The most affordable is millet. We can say that this is very coarse millet flour. The diameter of the grains can be from 0.25 to 1.5 millimeters.
The quality of wheat selected for production is regulated by GOST semolina, number 7022-97, which was updated in January 2015.
Types of semolina
The semolina product is available in three types.
Brand "M" represents opaque grains white produced from soft wheat varieties. Suitable for porridges, as it boils quickly and increases significantly in volume.
“T” brand cereal is made from durum wheat and consists of translucent grains with glassy and sharp edges. The color is closer to yellow. Such cereals expand less in volume, but the taste of porridge prepared from it is more intense. Suitable for baking, soufflés and additions to minced meat.
The “MT” brand is easy to recognize by its heterogeneous shape and color. It is made from a mixture of soft and durum wheat. White grains predominate, the mass of which is diluted with cream or yellowish particles.
How to choose good semolina
The package must be marked with GOST semolina, which standardizes the quality of all brands.
It is desirable that the packaging is transparent so that the cereal can be seen. It is clear that if you find pebbles or small insects, then you cannot buy such a product. But there are also less obvious signs of quality. In particular, the cereal should be free-flowing and not roll into lumps. Shake the bag to check.
There should be no crunching sensation when chewing the cereal, but you will have to check this at home. The smell should not be musty.
It is advisable to store the product in a dry glass container.
How to cook semolina porridge
Thousands of people will confirm to you that semolina porridge is delicious. But for some reason, of all the cereals, Soviet children did not hold semolina in high esteem, from which we can conclude that preparing this dish is not as easy as it seems. Let's try to learn?
First you need to heat milk or water in a saucepan. You can mix milk with water. Add salt and sugar to taste. Pour semolina into the pan, preferably using a strainer, stirring vigorously.
You need to have time to pour in all the cereal before the porridge thickens, otherwise those same hated lumps will form. Some housewives advise adding cereal to a not very hot liquid to make it easier to deal with clots, but such porridge will have a stickier consistency and the taste will deteriorate.
It is recommended to use 6 tablespoons of cereal per 1 liter of liquid. But in general, everyone has their own ideal proportions - some like thick porridge, others thinner. Experiment. However, remember that the porridge cooks well. At the beginning of cooking it may seem too liquid, but then it acquires the desired consistency.
Cooking time - no more than 2 minutes. Sometimes half a minute is enough. Then add butter, and let it sit for 5 minutes. If desired, you can add honey, sugar, jam, chocolate, pieces of fruit, nuts, etc.
The benefits of semolina
Semolina contains a lot of starch and vegetable protein. Contains vitamins B, E, PP. Microelements include iron, zinc, copper, manganese, fluorine, etc.
The porridge cooks very quickly, retaining maximum useful substances. Also, semolina is the only type of cereal that is digested in the lower intestine, so it is recommended for people who have undergone duodenal or gastric surgery.
When consumed in old age, it prevents the demineralization of blood cells.
In cosmetology, cereals are used to prepare masks.
Harm of semolina
Any product has disadvantages, including semolina. Today, doctors are of the opinion that children under one year of age should not be fed semolina, since it contains a strong allergen, which often causes diathesis. This is gluten - gluten, which is found in large quantities in semolina.
Fitin, incoming composition cereals are “blamed” for reducing the body’s absorption of calcium. This is true, but other cereals also suffer from this, although to a lesser extent.
There is little fiber in porridge, as well as vitamins. It is also very high in calories.
Why is there so much fuss about semolina?
Whatever you say, semolina is mysterious. What grain it is made from is not the most interest Ask. It is not clear why there is so much controversy around this simple product? In principle, all porridges are healthy, but it was semolina that was once presented as the most necessary and healthy.
There are many versions. For example, there is an assumption that during the years of shortage, one of the cheapest and most accessible products was semolina, which is where its “fame” arose in the USSR. Porridge really easily satisfied the feeling of hunger, and was prepared very quickly, and its “popularization” made it possible to feed the people with what was available without raising unnecessary questions.
On the other hand, criticism of this cereal began just at the time when expensive infant formula appeared. Doesn't this seem suspicious?
It's probably worth sticking to a neutral position. What is semolina made from? From ordinary millet. This is the same product as rice or, say, potatoes. No better and no worse. Any dish can be criticized. For example, is dried fruit compote so healthy? This is just water and dried and then boiled fruits, which are unlikely to retain vitamins after such “tests”. But for some reason no one makes any complaints about the compote.
Now that we know what semolina is, what it is made of and what it is eaten with, it’s time to get rid of childhood fears and begin to master the intricacies of preparing a variety of delicious dishes from her.
White, tender semolina porridge with milk is familiar to each of us. early childhood.
For some, it was a favorite dish, prepared by mother’s caring hands, and for others, it was the most terrible nightmare kindergarten, with disgusting lumps and a vague salty-sweet taste. But what is semolina made from, since there is no cereal called semolina? Let's find out!
A little history
In the old days, semolina was served only in wealthy families, as it was very expensive. The first mentions of semolina date back to the medieval period, both in Europe and in Rus'. In the 18th-19th centuries, the famous Guryev porridge, invented by the personal chef of Count Guryev and very popular among the Russian nobility, was prepared from it, as well as a variety of puddings, soufflés and casseroles.
For the common people semolina for a long time remained inaccessible, and only under Soviet rule did this tasty, easily digestible cereal become firmly established in the diet of children preschool age.
What is semolina made from?
There is nothing mysterious about the origin of semolina: it is a by-product of grinding wheat flour. When grinding wheat grains, the main part of the grinding is the fine fraction, i.e. flour, but some particles remain larger than necessary. They are separated during sifting - this is semolina. Semolina particles are initially heterogeneous, so they are further processed, bringing them to the required standard.
Semolina is used to make different varieties wheat.
— Cereals prepared from so-called soft varieties are marked with the letter M on the package. The grains from them will turn out white and opaque, and during cooking they will swell greatly, and the porridge will turn out tender, similar to cream.
— Semolina made from durum wheat is marked with the letter T. Its yellowish grains are translucent in appearance. When cooked, they swell much less than soft ones, but the porridge remains crumbly. From semolina T-grades The result is a very tasty unsweetened porridge in water, which is cooked after first calcining the dry cereal in a frying pan.
— Semolina made from a mixture of hard and soft cereals is marked with letters MT and consists of 80% soft and 20% hard varieties. 
Semolina brand M Most often used for cooking baby porridge, as well as for preparing mousses and casseroles, adding to baked goods. Groats brand T good in puddings, pancakes and similar products. Brand MT is considered universal, but its properties are closer to brand M.
How is semolina made?
Cooking semolina is quite complicated. technological process, which is organized using modern equipment.
1. Wheat grains are heated (tempered), then threshed and washed to remove dust and impurities.
2. Clean, dried grain is supplied to the flour milling complex, where coarse grinding occurs, after which the core of the grain is separated from the outer part (bran) using an air jet.
3. The cores of wheat grains are ground, after which the grinding is sifted, and large particles are separated for further processing.
4. Through several grindings and sifting, semolina particles lead to standard size(0.75-0.5 mm), grind and remove dust particles.
5. The finished semolina undergoes quality control, after which it is packaged in bags or sacks and goes on sale.
The benefits and harms of semolina porridge
Today you can often find diametrically opposed opinions about the benefits of semolina porridge: some consider it an extremely healthy dietary product, others argue that semolina should not be eaten at all. The truth, as usual, lies in the middle.
Semolina contains quite a lot of calories, but is low in vitamins and fiber, so in small quantities it is useful for children who expend a lot of energy, as well as for older people with diseases of the digestive tract. This does not mean that you need to eat semolina porridge every day, but two or three times a week, a dessert or side dish made from semolina will be beneficial. The cereal contains small amounts of magnesium, zinc, potassium, vitamins B, PP and E.
Please note that semolina contains a lot of gluten, which can cause an allergic reaction. It is for this reason that semolina porridge has now been excluded from the diet of children in the first year of life, although the previous several generations literally grew up on milk semolina porridge. 
In addition, semolina is rich in phytin, a substance that binds and blocks calcium salts. Because of this, milk semolina porridge is not at all as healthy as previously thought, and if consumed frequently, it can even lead to the leaching of calcium from the child’s body.
Who among us doesn’t know about semolina? Probably each of us was fed porridge made from this cereal in childhood. Have you ever thought about what semolina is made from? Semolina (or simply semolina) is made from wheat grains with a grain diameter of 0.25 to 0.75 mm.
Semolina is produced in three brands:
- M - from soft vitreous and semi-vitreous wheat,
- T - from solid,
- MT - from a mixture of hard and soft wheat.
M-grade cereals are made from soft wheat varieties. It has opaque white grains. It cooks quickly and gives the greatest increase in volume. The porridge made from it is uniform in consistency and has good taste.
T-grade cereals are produced from soft wheat varieties. In appearance it appears as translucent grains yellow color, with glassy sharp edges.
MT brand cereal is made from a mixture of soft and durum wheat. This brand of cereal is variegated in color and heterogeneous in shape.
Benefits and harms
Semolina, like all products, has its own beneficial and not so beneficial properties. Of course, there are more benefits from its use, but we should not forget about some of its not very useful properties.
Beneficial features
First of all, the benefit of semolina is that its preparation takes very little time, which means that most of the beneficial substances are preserved.
Due to the low fiber content in its composition, doctors recommend consuming semolina during the postoperative period, as well as in cases of severe exhaustion.
Semolina has a beneficial effect on the gastrointestinal tract, because... has a calming effect on gastritis and ulcer pain.
The presence of Potassium in the composition has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the heart, and B vitamins help the nervous system function normally.
Harm
Despite the above advantages of semolina, it can also have a negative effect on the human body.
Semolina contains gluten, which is not beneficial for our body. This is especially dangerous for people who are gluten intolerant, because... they may develop a disease - celiac disease, in which the intestinal mucosa begins to thin and the process of absorption of nutrients is disrupted.
Gluten gives bread its fluffiness, but it is not very beneficial for the body.
Semolina also contains phytin, which contains phosphorus. Phosphorus, in turn, prevents calcium from entering the blood. Therefore, dishes with semolina should be consumed together with foods rich in calcium.
Children, especially those under the age of 1 year, can suffer the most due to the harmful effects of semolina. Due to consumption large quantity dishes made from this cereal and due to the lack of calcium caused by this, the child’s body may begin such negative processes as:
- weakening of the immune system,
- poor development of muscles and bones,
- the appearance of signs of rickets,
- worsening blood clotting.
All this does not mean completely excluding this cereal from the child’s diet, but you should consult a doctor before regularly feeding dishes made from this cereal, especially for a child under 1 year of age.
Composition and energy value
Availability of useful and harmful properties depends on the composition of the product; use in diets depends on the energy value and calorie content. Below is the full composition and energy value semolina.
Nutritional value per 100 grams:
- Proteins - 10.3 g
- Fats - 1 g
- Carbohydrates - 67.4 g
- Dietary fiber - 3.7 g
Vitamins:
- Vitamin B1 0.14 mg
- Vitamin B2 0.04 mg
- Vitamin B6 0.17 mg
- Vitamin B9 23 mcg
- Vitamin E 1.5 mg
- Vitamin PP 3 mg
- Niacin 1.2 mg
Macronutrients:
- Potassium 130 mg
- Calcium 20 mg
- Silicon 6 mg
- Magnesium 18 mg
- Sodium 3 mg
- Sulfur 75 mg
- Phosphorus 85 mg
- Chlorine 21 mg
Microelements:
- Aluminum 570 mcg
- Boron 63µg
- Vanadium 103 mcg
- Iron 18 mg
- Cobalt 25 mcg
- Manganese 0.44 mg
- Copper 70 mcg
- Molybdenum 11.3 mcg
- Nickel 11.5 mcg
- Tin 3.2 mcg
- Titanium 8.9 mcg
- Fluoride 20 mcg
- Chromium 1 mcg
- Zinc 0.59 mg
Calorie content
Semolina porridge with butter The calorie content of dry semolina is 330 kcal. You won’t eat dry semolina, so below are approximate calorie values for different dishes with her addition:
- Semolina porridge on water - 80 kcal.
- Semolina porridge with milk - 98 kcal.
- Cottage cheese casserole with semolina - 163 kcal.
- Cheesecakes with semolina - 230 kcal.
Calorie values are approximate and may vary due to... When preparing dishes, different proportions and types of products are used (for example, milk with different percentages of fat content).
Application
The main use of semolina is preparing various dishes with it, such as porridge, casseroles, cheesecakes, etc.
Fishermen also use semolina to prepare bait (for example, chatterbox) or to prepare groundbait.
How long to cook
Usually, everyone cooks semolina in their own way and it depends on the cooking recipe, but the average cooking time for semolina when preparing porridge is only 3 to 5 minutes, regardless of what you cook it with - water or milk.
This cereal is one of the leaders in terms of cooking speed, and this is due to the fact that the diameter of the cereal is quite small.
How to choose
It is advisable to choose T brand cereals, because... it is made from durum wheat, which means its glycemic index is lower than that of the MT and M brands. A low glycemic index is better for our body in terms of gaining excess weight.
When choosing semolina, you should pay attention to the color and appearance product. The grains should be approximately the same size and color. The presence of foreign objects and insects in the cereal is not allowed.
When purchasing in a closed package, you should pay attention to the expiration date and the presence of the GOST standard, because In such packaging it is not possible to discern the appearance of the cereal.
How to store and expiration date
For storage, it is advisable to pour it into glass jar or other container with a tight lid.
It should be stored in dark place at room temperature and humidity not more than 70%.
Subject to storage conditions, the shelf life of semolina is from 7 to 10 months.
Watch a video fragment of the Galileo program about semolina: