As the wheat is fed into the mill, the rollers flake off the bran and germ while the starch (or endosperm) is cracked into coarse pieces in the process.

[7] It may be milled either coarse or fine, and both are used in a wide variety of sweet and savory dishes, including many types of pasta.

On the Indian subcontinent, common-wheat semolina may be milled either coarse or fine, and both are used in a wide variety of both sweet and savory dishes.

[citation needed] In Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Serbia, Slovenia, Romania, Slovakia and Croatia, (durum) semolina is known as (Hartweizen-)Grieß (a word related to "grits") and is mixed with egg to make Grießknödel, which can be added to soup.

In much of North Africa, durum semolina is made into the staple couscous and different kinds of flat breads like m'semen, kesra, khobz and other.

In Austria, Germany, Hungary, Bulgaria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, Serbia, Romania, Croatia, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, common wheat semolina is called Weichweizengrieß in German, but is often referred to as Grieß).

Grießauflauf consists of semolina mixed with whipped egg whites, and sometimes fruit or nuts, and then baked in the oven.

Migliaccio is a mixture of ricotta, vanilla and citrus peel, similar to the filling in sfogliatelle, with added semolina flour to obtain a simple, firm cake.

In Slovakia, Sweden, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Belarus, Israel, and Russia, it is eaten as a breakfast porridge, sometimes mixed with raisins and served with milk.

In the Middle East and North Africa, basbousa (also called harisa in some varieties of Arabic) is a sweet semolina cake soaked in fragrant syrup and frequently topped with nuts.

In North Africa, it is also used to make harcha, a kind of griddle cake often eaten for breakfast, commonly with jam or honey.

In bread making, a small proportion of durum semolina added to the usual mix of flour is said to produce a tasty crust.