The meaning of Farina

Farina is a cereal food, frequently described as mild-tasting, usually served warm, made from cereal grains. In contemporary English use, the word usually refers to semolina or Cream of Wheat made from soft wheat. Wheat farina is a carbohydrate-rich food, often cooked in boiling water and served warm for breakfast, or cooked with milk and made into semolina pudding. It is used as an ingredient in many dishes and in processed foods such as breakfast cereals and pasta.

The word farina comes from either the Italian and Catalan word for "flour"; the old Romanian word for flour, "fărină"; or in Portuguese, "farinha". The Spanish word is "harina", also very close. (This similarity is due to the fact that these are all Romance languages.)

Farina is made from the germ and endosperm of the grain, which is milled to a fine granular consistency and then sifted. Because the bran and most of the germ are removed, this cereal is sometimes enriched with Vitamin B and iron. Farina, by itself, is most often served as a breakfast cereal, but can also be cooked like polenta. Farina can also be used to make farofa. Cream of Wheat, Malt-O-Meal, and Farina Mills's Farina (see the photo at right) are brand names of a type of wheat farina used for breakfast cereal.

It is also one of the single best sources of dietary iron available, especially for vegetarian diets, with most brands offering as much as 50% of the recommended daily value in a single 120-calorie serving.

Common additives to it for cereal are cinnamon, butter, sugar, or salt. These can help add to an otherwise bland taste.