Oatmeal

Information about Oatmeal

Featured Ingredient - Scotland 

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Oatmeal is a product made by processing oats. Firstly the oats are hulled by mechanical methods leaving the inner kernel called the groat The groats are then cleaned by souring brushes and subjected to moisture after which they are heated to a temperature of approximately 215F. The steam produced during this process acts as an inhibitor of undesirable enzymes enabling the finished products to be stored for a longer periods.

The groats are then refined into “steelcut” then flaked into the various types of rolled oats (quick or traditional) before being dried and stored.

The Scots have utilised oats in all it’s forms for hundreds of years, initially due to the fact that oats are easier to grow in the cold wet climate and short growing season than other grains such as wheat and not surprisingly is became an important staple.

Today oatmeal is still very popular in Scottish cuisine and is used in a variety of ways such as stuffings, coatings for fish, baked goods including biscuits and bannocks, breakfast dishes such as porridge, haggis and even as a coating for Caboc cheese.

You can find l recipes using Oatmeal or rolled oats on the main Scotland Cooking by Country page and many more throughout the site. Just use the Search Page to find them all.

Happy Cooking!