Farina is a form of starch - flour - milled from a varierty of vegetables such as potato and cassava. In the USA, the term is associated with wheat middlings: the germ and endosperm of the grain, which are milled to a fine consistency and then sifted.^{[citation needed]}

The word farina in Latin and other languages means "meal" or "flour".

Farina is often prepared as a hot porridge-like dish and served for breakfast. It may also be cooked like polenta and farofa, which are made with ground corn. Farina with milk and sugar is sometimes used for making creams for layered cakes. Farina can be used as a substitute for bread crumbs in sweet and meat pies (to absorb excess water). 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.

Farina is a carbohydrate-rich food. When enriched, it is one of the best sources of dietary iron available, especially for vegetarian diets. Popular brands offer up to 50% of the recommended daily value of iron in a single 500-kilojoule (120-kilocalorie) serving. In commercially available farina, the bran and most of the germ are removed. Cream of Wheat, Malt-O-Meal, and Farina Mills are popular brand names of breakfast cereal. To augment its mild taste, popular add-ins to cooked farina include brown or granular sugar, maple, honey, molasses, fruit, nuts, cinnamon, butter, grated chocolate, jams, milk, and salt.

Preparation

Cream of Wheat is made by boiling water, then pouring it into the flour while stirring. As it is stirred, the flour begins to thicken, depending on the ratio of liquid to flour. Some choose to use milk instead, or milk and water, in order to give the food a creamier flavor. There are currently three original mixes available: 10 minute, 2½ minute, and 1 minute. Cream of Wheat is also sold in individual packages, ready to serve. These preparations only require pouring hot water directly into a bowl (about two minutes).

It is common to personalize the hot cream with sugar, fruit, or dried fruit.^[1]