I was at the grocery store today and noticed a product I had not seen before - Scottish oatmeal. “What is that?” I wondered. Naturally, I assumed the thrifty Scots would have an oatmeal that is a better bargain than the regular oats I buy. “No, not less expensive. I know just who to ask about this product,” I thought. Well, I did a little Googling on my own and discovered it is just a different way to mill the oats. It must be good or Oliver Twist wouldn’t have asked for more. “More?!”
Scottish Oatmeal - what is that?
1 Like
Scottish Oatmeal - Porridge for breakfast is said to give you enough energy to see you through the day. That’s why they feed these beauties with bruised oats.
Oats is essentially the cereal from a native grass. Back in the days of water mills the whole seeds would be milled into a rough flour and sold as meal. For essentially that’s what it was - a meal. Modern Oats have the outer husk removed making it more palatable.
Water is placed in a pot with salt added and brought to the boil and the oatmeal added. You have to keep stirring the pot or the porridge will go lumpy or burn. As the oats cook the mix gets thicker and starts to bubble like hot gas in a mud volcano. Best eaten whilst hot but be careful you can burn your mouth - eat from around the edge of the bowl where the porridge is cooler than it is in the centre of the bowl and be sure to blow - to cool - before putting it anywhere near your mouth. Porridge is quite bland but with a little sugar, strawberry jam and milk it tastes really good.
Yes we Scot’s love our porridge especially in winter. It used to be very inexpensive so it would have been popular with the poor of Charles Dickens era. But food trends changed back in the 50’s thanks to Mr Kellogg and his corn flakes and other breakfast cereals. In recent years however whole food products are growing in popularity but the prices remain high.
Two other products to look out for are Oatmeal Biscuits ( Cookies) and Oat Cakes the biscuits are sweet and the cakes (not really a cake more like a sheet of cardboard) are savoury and usually served with cheese and a tot of whisky.
I see the original Scott’s Porridge Oat’s Company has been taken over by Quaker and or the Pepsi Cola Company. Nothing remains sacred these days.
5 Likes
Except money. It’s curious what people will do for money that they wouldn’t do for God. For example, they will dress in goofy costumes and engaging in humiliating stunts on nationwide TV because they might win some money…but they won’t sing in church because it’s embarrassing.
But to stay on topic, I’m more of a steel cut oats man myself. Pretty much every day. I prefer the heartiness of steel cut oats to the creamier kind. Since I’m in no hurry to go to someplace called “work,” I don’t mind the 30 minutes it takes to cook them.
I top mine with genuine, authentic maple syrup. Now both me & my banjo have maple in our necks! 
5 Likes
Hey @BanJoe Never heard of steel cut oats and you have to wait 30 minutes till the cook did you know that good ole porridge is ready in about ten minutes. Leaves more time to practice 
1 Like
I am not sure that is safe anymore with the PIN & Chip being thrust on us by banking and retail.
2 Likes
FWIW - Steel cut oats are sometimes called “Irish Oats.”
https://www.ehow.com/info_8409745_difference-cut-oats-scottish-oatmeal.html
“Oats are a superbly nutritious grain, but they’re difficult for farmers and millers. They contain high levels of healthy oils, but also a troublesome enzyme that quickly turns those oils rancid. The cure for this unfortunate situation is to par-cook the oats with dry heat or steam, resulting in an oat “groat.” While the oats are still soft from this process – similar to the way wheat is processed into bulgur – they can be rolled into the familiar flat flakes, or chopped into smaller, quicker-cooking pieces. Those small pieces are steel-cut or “Irish” oats , and if they in turn are rolled they produce quick oat flakes. The Scots, rather than chopping their oats, stone-grind them into meal much as Americans do with corn.”
2 Likes
I didn’t know that so thank you. You learn something new each time you visit this Forum. 
1 Like
Steel cut oats are good. You can also cook them overnight at low temp so they are ready in the morning. I’ll have to try some Scottish oats!
3 Likes
Now that is an idea I wouldn’t have come up with! I am also a fan of steel cut oatmeal, the wife prefers the Quaker oat variety. Some of the additions suggested seem almost as out of bounds as the whiskey. I generally prefer mine with raisins, dried cranberries, apple, pecans (not walnuts), and brown sugar.
I used to play a lot of golf and my partners and I would often have breakfast at the club before teeing off. I liked to get a ham steak; I’d ask for maple syrup to pour over it. At first the waitress thought I was quite mad. But, repetition (and good tips) made her start suggesting maple syrup to other customers. I witnessed a lot of reactions, “What? Maple syrup? No thank you!”
Wish I knew about @archie’s tot of whiskey idea. Then I’d hear the waitress asking people, “Would you take a tot of whiskey with that?” I suspect there might have been more takers among the early morning golfers. “You know, I think I’m hitting the ball better today.”
Blockquote
2 Likes
My wife makes a great oatmeal breakfast with steel cut oats and dried cranberries. But living in Alabama, I’m partial to cheese grits with a pinch of cayenne pepper.
2 Likes
Ah! the tot of whisky (not whiskey which is Irish) would go with the Oatcakes and Cheese also Shortbread (a rich sweet cookie made with butter and flour) served at the end of an evening dinner/supper of Haggis, Tatties & Neeps.
2 Likes
Try strawberries, raspberries, Logan berries with your oatmeal.
3 Likes
Traditional Scottish Cranachan. Another recipe that also has oats in it.
2 Likes
You can also soak oatmeal overnight in water or milk and eat the next morn. Its supposed to have benefits but for me nothing starts the day of better than a bowl of warm oatmeal. I usually put maple syrup, pecans and a shake or two of Ceylon cinnamon in mine. When I was little I was partial to throwing in a sliced, frozen banana.
3 Likes