Discover the Magic of Semola in Italian Cuisine
Have you ever heard of semola? You might be surprised to learn that it’s one of the most essential ingredients in Italian cuisine, crucial for making…
What It’s Used For
PASTA! Whether you’re savoring spaghetti, penne, farfalle, rigatoni, or orecchiette, they all share one key ingredient: semolina flour, known as semola in Italian. This hard-wheat flour has been grown in Italy’s warm, sunny south for centuries, forming the foundation of pasta traditions in southern and central Italy.
The production of dried pasta began in Sicily, where the warm winds and sea breeze were perfect for drying pasta. Over the centuries, it spread to other parts of Italy, including Sardinia, Naples, and Puglia. Semola is also used to make fresh homemade pasta like orecchiette, trofie, pici, and tonnarelli. Did you know Italy boasts over 300 different pasta shapes?
While semolina is best known as a pasta ingredient, it’s also used to make bread, most famously Pane di Altamura from Puglia. Additionally, it can be combined with egg yolks, milk, and parmesan and baked in the oven to produce Roman-style gnocchi, a hearty, satisfying dish that showcases semolina’s unique texture.
What Is Semola?
Produced from hard wheat, semola’s distinctive golden color and coarse texture resemble cornmeal. Semola is essential for dried pasta production due to its unique qualities. This flour has a high protein content of around 12-15%, which, when kneaded, produces gluten. Gluten creates the structure that holds the shape of the pasta (the word gluten actually derives from the Latin word for glue). No other flour could maintain the swirly shape of fusilli, the hole throughout bucatini, or the lines on rigatoni. Additionally, as dried pasta contains no eggs, it is the gold hue of the semolina that gives the pasta its yellow appearance.
The Recipe and the Pasta Course
Making pasta with semola at home is easy. Simply combine 100g (3.5 oz) of semolina with 50ml (1.7 oz) of warm water. Cover and leave to rest for one hour before kneading well until you have a smooth dough. You can then cut and shape the pasta any way you choose, though it may take a little practice to achieve more complicated shapes such as orecchiette or fusilli.
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