What is "farina"

Farina \Fa*ri"na\ (f[.a]*r[imac]"n[.a] or f[.a]*r[=e]"n[.a]), n. [L., meal, flour, fr. far a sort of grain, spelt; akin to E. barley.]

1. A fine flour or meal made from cereal grains or from the starch or fecula of vegetables, extracted by various processes, and used in cookery.

2. (Bot.) Pollen. [R.]
   --Craig.

1707, "dust, powdery substance," from Latin farina "ground wheat, flour, meal," from far (genitive farris) "grits, spelt, a kind of grain" (see barley).

n. A fine flour or meal made from cereal grains or from the starch or fecula of vegetables, extracted by various processes, and used in cookery.

n. fine meal made from cereal grain especially wheat; often used as a cooked cereal or in puddings

Fariña is a last name, held by many people.

• The death of Carlos Fariña in 1973 is a Chilean political scandal
• Leonardo Fariña, Argentine TV personality
• Luis Fariña, Argentine football player
• Mimi Fariña, American singer
• Richard Fariña, American writer and folksinger

Farina is milled wheat most often used to prepare hot cereal for breakfast. The word "farina" is Latin, meaning meal or flour. It is made from the germ and endosperm of the grain, which is milled to a fine granular consistency and then sifted. This results in a carbohydrate-rich food. When enriched, it is one of the 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. For commercial cereals the bran and most of the germ are removed and is sometimes enriched with Vitamin B and iron. Cream of Wheat, Malt-O-Meal, and Farina Mills are popular brand names of breakfast cereal.

Distinct from Semolina, Farina comes from the same process but is more finely milled. Both are used to make puddings. Semolina, which is more coarse, is frequently used to make pastas. While Farina is finer and more frequently used to make cereal. The cereal is cooked in hot or boiling water or milk and served warm, or made into semolina pudding. Due to its mild taste, the cereal is often flavored with brown sugar, maple, honey, nuts, cinnamon, butter, grated chocolate, jams, salt, fruits and combinations and variations of these items.

Farina can also be cooked like polenta and farofa. It can also be used to prevent dough from sticking to baking surfaces via the baking process, leaving residual farina on the bottom of the final product. This is a common practice for Pizza and English Muffins.

Farina is a surname. It is the Italian word for "flour."

Notable people with the surname include:

• Adele Farina, Australian politician
• Amy Farina, American musician
• Antonio Farina (fl. 1670s) Italian composer
• Battista "Pinin" Farina (later Battista Pininfarina), Italian automobile stylist
• Carlo Farina, Italian composer and violinist of the Baroque era
• Carolyn Farina, American actress
• Dennis Farina (1944–2013), American actor
• Frank Farina, Australian football player and former manager of the Socceroos
• Gianluca Farina, Italian competition rower and Olympic champion
• Giovanni Antonio Farina, Italian bishop
• Giuseppe Farina, Italian Grand Prix racer and first Formula One World Drivers Champion
• Giuseppe La Farina, leader of the Italian Risorgimento
• Johann Maria Farina (1685–1766), the creator of Eau de Cologne
• Mark Farina, American house music DJ and producer
• Piergiorgio Farina (1933–2008), Italian jazz violinist
• Pietro Farina (1942–2013), Italian Roman Catholic bishop
• Raffaele Farina, Italian cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church
• Robin Farina (born 1977), American cyclist
• Salvatore Farina, Italian novelist
• Simone Farina, Italian footballer
• Stefano Farina, Italian football referee
• Samantha Farina, entrepreneur & Actress
• William Farina, American essayist and author
• Farina brothers, wealthy Neapolitan lawyers who may have sponsored the castrato Carlo Broschi, whose stage-name, “Farinelli”, may be a homage to them.

The Spanish equivalent is Fariña:

• Mimi Baez Fariña, folk music performer
• Richard Fariña, American author and folk music performer