Flour is the product obtained from grinding cereal grains, or more rarely other plant
materials (such as chestnuts, chickpeas, rice or legumes), reduced to a fine powder after
removing the less digestible parts such as bran. It is the base ingredient for producing
bread, pasta, cakes and numerous other baked goods.
General
The most common flour is soft wheat flour, used mainly for bread, pizza and pastries,
available in different refinement grades classified in Italy as type 00, 0, 1, 2 and
wholemeal, based on the amount of bran and germ removed during milling: the lower the
number, the more refined the flour. Durum wheat flour, with its characteristic amber
yellow color, is instead used mainly for dried pasta and certain traditional breads from
Southern Italy.
There are also numerous alternative flours, increasingly popular for specific nutritional
or culinary needs: gluten-free flours, obtained from cereals such as corn and rice or from
other plants such as chestnuts and legumes, are essential for people with celiac disease;
wholemeal flours, which retain the bran and germ of the grain, are richer in fiber and
nutrients compared to refined ones.
(source: Wikipedia)
(Selection 2026)