Durum wheat, also known as pasta wheat or macaroni wheat, is a tetraploid species of wheat. It is the second most cultivated species of wheat after common wheat, although it represents only 5% to 8% of global wheat production. Durum wheat was developed by artificial selection of the domesticated emmer wheat strains formerly grown in Central Europe and the Near East around 7000 BC, which developed a naked, free-threshing form. Durum wheat is the hardest of all wheats, which refers to the resistance of the grain to milling, in particular of the starchy endosperm, implying dough made from its flour is weak or "soft". This makes durum favorable for semolina and pasta and less practical for flour, which requires more work than with hexaploid wheats like common bread wheats. Durum wheat is high in protein and gluten, making it ideal for making bread and pasta. Semolina is the flour that’s ground from the endosperm of durum wheat, and it’s a pale-yellow, coarse flour. Durum wheat and whole common wheat are two ingredients commonly found in foods like bread, pasta, noodles, couscous, and baked goods. Durum wheat and common wheat are available in whole-grain or processed forms, but the term “whole wheat” is frequently used to mean unprocessed common wheat. Durum wheat is typically planted in the spring and harvested in the fall, and it’s well adapted to the hot and dry conditions surrounding the Mediterranean sea. Durum wheat lacks the D genome, a set of DNA typically found in common wheat, which affects the properties of dough. Doughs made from durum wheat tend to have higher extensibility, meaning they are more easily stretched into long pieces without breaking, making them ideal to use in pasta. Durum wheat is rich in carotenoid pigments, bringing a highly desirable bright yellow color to pasta and bread. These compounds help contribute to the sweet flavor of bread and pasta and bring essential nutrients such as provitamin A and antioxidants.