Traditional southern Italian pasta dough for lasagna sheets uses water and semolina.
Semolina is the coarse flour produced by milling durum wheat, a hard wheat valued for its golden color, firm texture, and high protein content. In traditional southern Italian pasta-making, semolina is mixed with water to form a dough that can be rolled or shaped into pasta sheets. This differs from the fresh egg pasta associated with northern Italy, where soft wheat flour and eggs are more typical.
The regional contrast reflects both agriculture and culinary tradition. Durum wheat has long been especially important in southern Italy, while the north developed a strong tradition of egg-based sfoglia. Neither method is the only modern way to make lasagna: commercially produced dried sheets are generally made from durum-wheat semolina, while many fresh recipes add eggs.
Semolina is not the same as cornmeal, buckwheat, or rye flour. Those grains can be used in specialty pastas, but they are not the standard grain product identified in this traditional southern Italian preparation.