Farina (food)



Farina (from the Italian word for "flour") is a bland-tasting meal made from cereal grains, nuts, or starchy roots. Farina is a protein-rich food, often cooked in boiling water and eaten 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.

Farina is made from the germ and 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 Vitamin B and iron. Farina, by itself, is most often served as a breakfast cereal, but can also be cooked like polenta. "Cream of Wheat" and Farina Mills' "Farina" (see photo at right) are brand names of a type of wheat farina used for porridge.

While Farina has been compared to grits; they are, in fact, very different, the only real similarity being that both are hot cereals. Farina is finely ground wheat, while grits is made from corn, and is of a coarser texture.

In popular culture

 * Allen Hoskins's character in the Our Gang comedies was named "Farina" after the cereal.


 * In Futurama, Professor Farnsworth orders a "mild farina" in a restaurant after talking about living life on the edge to his date.


 * In Dr. Katz, Katz refers to farina as "The thinking man's oatmeal".


 * The punk band Screeching Weasel mentions Farina in their song "Supermarket Fantasy".


 * In the Seinfeld episode "The Dinner Party" Jerry talks about when he found a hair in his farina when he was younger.


 * In the movie Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, Mississippi governor Pappy O'Daniel's son tells Tim Blake Nelson's character Delmar O'Donnell that he hopes Delmar will eat his daddy's farina and vote him into a second term.


 * In the book "Four Blind Mice"(page 133), part of James Patterson's Alex Cross detective series, farina is referenced as one of the main characters (John Sampson) favorite breakfast food.