Semolina

Let's talk about semolina, and let's stop calling it "just wheat dust."

Semolina is the coarse heart of durum wheat. Rub it between your fingers and you feel gritty little pearls, not soft flour, and pearls cook differently from flour. Sprinkle it into hot milk or water in a thin, steady stream, stirring the whole time, and watch the pot thicken under your spoon. Stop stirring for even a moment and the milk catches on the bottom, so stay close and keep moving it.

Choose it by touch and colour. Good durum semolina runs pale gold, almost amber, and feels dry and sandy between your fingers, never powdery. If you open the bag and see clumps, catch a musty smell, or spot any webbing, put it back and buy fresh. Keep your own jar tightly closed and dry.

Now, the misconception. Some people say semolina is gluten-free because it "doesn't feel like flour." No! It comes from wheat, full stop, and wheat means gluten. That wrong belief leads people with wheat intolerance straight into trouble, and I have watched cooks knead semolina dough gently, almost afraid of it, when it wants the opposite: press it, fold it, work it hard, until it turns tight and elastic under your palms.