Sooji, rava (sometimes spelled rawa), and semolina are different names of the same powder or flour that is obtained from wheat. The only difference between sooji, rava and semolina is their usage. Semolina is Italian in origin while sooji is the word used for it in North India and Pakistan. Rava is the name for semolina in south India.
Many people do not know semolina though they make use of rava or sooji. Same is the case with people who use semolina as a batter in many recipes or even as a main ingredient but draw a blank when asked about sooji or rava.
What is Semolina
Semolina is a name that is Italian in origin and refers to coarse flour obtained from wheat. However, flour from maize can also be labeled semolina. This is a special wheat flour different from the normal one as it is gritty and coarse. This flour is made from what is left behind when the finer flour has been separated. Durum wheat is used to get semolina.
Figure 01: Semolina
This wheat is harder than the normal variety from which flour for bread making is obtained. This flour has high gluten content and is sometimes used to make pasta, the staple Italian food.
What is Sooji
Sooji is the name of a kind of flour obtained from wheat. It is used in northern parts of India to make a special kind of dessert called halwa. Sooji is made by grinding and then bolting wheat to obtain a flour of certain kind of fineness. This is a flour that is obtained by not pulverizing but merely granulating wheat grains.
Figure 02: Sooji Ka Halwa (an Indian Dessert)
Dictionaries give semolina as the answer to the question ‘what is sooji’. Sooji is used in northern parts of India and Pakistan to make sooji halwa. To make this batter, sooji is mixed with butter, sugar, milk and pine nuts and heated in a pan for some time to take it to a certain level of consistency.
What is Rava
Rava is the name that is primarily used for semolina or sooji in southern parts of India though people refer to semolina as rava even in northern India. This flour is mainly used to make rava dosa, uttapam, upma, and idlis in south India.
What is the Difference Between Sooji, Rava and Semolina?
- Semolina, rava, and sooji are three names of the same coarse flour obtained by granulating wheat.
- The word Semolina is Italian in origin while sooji is the word used for it in North India and Pakistan. Rava is the name for semolina in south India. There is no concrete difference between sooji, rava and semolina. The only difference is in the usage of the three names.
Summary – Sooji vs Rava vs Semolina
The difference between sooji, rava and semolina lies in the usage of the three names. There is no other differences between them since these three are names for the same flour.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Sa semolina far” By I, Sanjay ach (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Commons Wikimedia
2. “Saeb Aur Sooji Ka Halwa” By Monali.mishra – Own work (CC BY-SA 4.0) via Commons Wikimedia
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