Semolina is made from wheat grains using a technological process using sieve machines. After grinding wheat cereals and subsequent sorting in several stages of intermediate products of grain grinding, semolina is obtained.
Semolina production technology
The processing of wheat to obtain cereal products, and, as a consequence, semolina and flour, takes place in several stages. At the stage of coarse grinding, wheat is divided into three components: flour, coarse and fine shell and various grains. With the correct grinding technology, a larger amount of intermediate product is crumbs, but this ratio may differ in different types of mills. It is she who, during further cleaning and sorting, turns into the well-known semolina.
Mills of small capacity (up to 20 tons) are able to filter high-quality crumbs after the second cleaning, separating them as much as possible from casings and bran. Further, on the sorting sieves, the process of blowing out small particles, including flour, takes place. And on sieve machines, light and heavy particles are separated by vibration and an adjustable upward air flow. The sieves on these machines are selected in a special way to separate small particles from large ones. Small particles are used to make pasta, and large ones are semolina. In this way, pure high-quality semolina is enriched (as the manufacturers call this process).
Varieties of semolina
Semolina and flour are a by-product of wheat grain processing. Unlike flour, semolina has a coarser grind, its grains reach sizes from 0.25 to 0.75 mm. The classification of semolina depends on the varieties of wheat taken for processing. The semolina obtained by grinding durum wheat has the designation "T", soft wheat - "M", and when processing mixed varieties - "MT".
Historical data
Semolina was produced in Russia back in the 19th century, but due to the complexity of the technological process of grain processing, cereal was an expensive scarce product and did not have much demand among the population. In the 20th century, the production of semolina was put on a conveyor belt, which is why it has become widespread among cereal products.
Cooking use
Currently, semolina belongs to the category of inexpensive popular goods and is used in cooking in the preparation of various dishes, and not just the well-known porridge. Sorts of semolina "M" are perfect for casseroles, cheese cakes, pancakes, milk cereals. And from "T" make dumplings for soups, as well as sweet puddings, soufflés and mousses. Semolina quickly absorbs water and swells, so when using it, you should strictly adhere to the recipe so that the resulting dish does not become too dense and rubbery.
