Keep it in an airtight container in a cool, dry cupboard. It can last a few months that way. Because it has a bit more oil than plain flour, it can go off faster – if it smells funny or rancid, throw it out. For longer storage put it in the fridge or freezer.

It has more protein than regular flour, so it keeps you fuller a bit longer. There’s some fibre and B vitamins in it. Because it’s made from hard wheat it has gluten, so it’s not for people who can’t eat that. Good energy food, especially when cooked as a simple porridge.

It comes from durum wheat, which has been grown for thousands of years in places around the Mediterranean and Middle East. The hard grains make good coarse flour that holds up well when cooked. From there it spread with trade and cooking traditions into Europe, North Africa, India (where it’s called suji or rava), and the rest of the world.

People have been grinding hard wheat into this kind of meal for a very long time. The word comes from old Italian and Latin words for coarse flour. It’s been used in Mediterranean cooking for ages, especially for pasta and porridge-style dishes.

Most dried Italian pasta is made from it. In India it’s the main ingredient in upma and many sweets like Halwa. The yellow colour comes from the wheat itself. People have been eating semolina-style porridge since Roman times.

Use it for homemade pasta – it gives a nice firm texture. For porridge or pudding, cook it slowly with milk or water and keep stirring so it doesn’t go lumpy. You can dust pizza dough or bread with it to stop sticking. In some places they toast it first for a deeper flavour in sweets like halwa or upma. Don’t swap it one-for-one with normal flour in cakes – the texture is different.