FREGULA
By Pamela Lewy
Once dubbed “couscous’ tastier cousin, Fregula is not a grain as some people believe, but rather an ancient form of pasta made from semolina. It’s similar to couscous, though couscous is light and fine, where fregula is coarse and rough. fregula is a staple of the Sardinian kitchen since Ligurian navigators imported it from North Africa.
Fregula is handmade with course semolina and water and then rubbed to form the little pellets of pasta. The pasta is then dried and toasted to impart a nutty, wheaty flavor. When cooked, it is chewy but not gummy. Unlike barley, rice, lentils or potatoes, fregola cooks quickly and be can be done in less than 10 minutes, making fregula ideal for easy cooking.
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