Kitchen Dictionary: farina

Farina is a bland-tasting meal made from cereal grains that when cooked in boiling water makes a hot breakfast cereal, but can also be cooked like polenta. Also sold as "Cream of Wheat," farina is made from the endosperm of the grain, which is milled to a fine granular consistency and then sifted. Although the bran and most of the germ are removed, this cereal is sometimes enriched with B vitamins and iron. Its name comes from the Latin word for meal or flour, which in turn traces to far, the Latin name for spelt, a type of wheat. Farina was the first genuine flour before milling stones.

Dietary Information

This Product contains gluten and is not suitable for those on a gluten free diet. Possible substitutions could be cream of buckwheat or hot rice cereal or possibly grits, depending on the recipe.

Ingredient

Season: available year-round

How to select: Located in the breakfast aisle of most supermarkets.