This food group goes against grain

Hilde G. Lee Daily Progress correspondent
Published: June 24, 2008

Oats are not high on my list of staples, and I rarely think about using them, except in the winter when we occasionally have oatmeal for breakfast. On the other hand, I had a friend who ate only oatmeal for breakfast every day for all of his adult life.

My mother used to cook an oatmeal soup with a beef broth base and mushrooms. It was never my favorite soup.

Samuel Johnson wrote in his 1755 dictionary that “oats are a grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people.”

Today’s dictionary is no different, as it defines oats as used for making oatmeal and as a food for horses. In America about 90 percent of the oat crop is used to feed farmyard residents.

An unwated weed

The consumption of oats by animals probably began because oats were originally an unwanted weed, unloved by farmers because the plants usually thrived between rows of wheat and barley. Oats were usually pulled up and burned. Though oats were probably eaten in Neolithic times and during he Bronze Age, they were generally used as a food for the horses of Central Asia and the colder areas of Russia.

The origin of oats is vague. Some food historians give the origin of oats as the Middle East or Africa. That is probably incorrect, as the plant thrives best in colder, damper climates — conditions that are inhospitable to other grains.

Oats probably came to northern Europe along with the raiders, merchant caravans, invaders and plunderers — along with the horses and the food carried to feed them. The oat plant proliferated in the colder areas of Europe, such as Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Germany, Denmark and Switzerland.

Horse feed

Along the way oats started a “chicken and egg” conundrum. Since horses were big eaters, the arrival of oats made the job of feeding them easier. Thus, the early farmer could have more horses to help with the work. More horses meant larger cultivated fields of wheat and barley — and oats, which then allowed still more horses. In addition, the farmers soon discovered that oats were a great rotation crop.

In northern Europe, oats are a part of the culinary heritage. For the Scots, no celebration or cookbook would be complete without the inclusion of oats. Haggis, the substantial winter dish steamed in the stomach of a sheep, has the vital addition of oats. The Scots also make a powerful drink from raw oats soaked in water.

The Scots consider the use of sugar and milk or cream on their morning oatmeal as unnecessary. Traditionally, they put the milk or cream in a separate bowl and then dip each spoonful of oatmeal into it as they eat.

As with the Scots, the

Welsh make an oatmeal brew. They also make oatcakes, which are dipped in buttermilk. The Swiss have their muesli, which includes oats, and the Irish are famous for their steel-cut oats, a substantial morning meal.

Americans are not without their ties to oats. The common phrases “feeling one’s oats” or “sowing one’s wild oats” are quite familiar. In Provence, France, the comment that “she gave him his oats” comes from an old tradition in which the suitor of an eligible young woman was encouraged when she sprinkled large amounts of cheese on his oatmeal. On the other hand, he was rejected when she slipped oats in his pocket.

The American demand for oats is a fairly recent phenomenon, having to do with the nutrition hype for oat bran in our diets. Oats as a grain has progressed from weed to health food. Although oat bran was said to lower cholesterol, recent studies have determined that it is no more effective than other grains. Oats just make for great, tasty dishes that are not limited to breakfast.

Oats can be used for thickening and enriching soups, for extending meat loaves, for stuffings, pilafs, cakes, breads, muffins, pancakes, granolas and mueslis. Many people still can remember their mothers saying, “It’s cold outside, eat your oatmeal.”

There are five forms of oats. Whole oat groats are the untreated, natural, hulled oats with only the outermost inedible hull removed. They take the longest time to cook.

Steel-cut oats, also known as Scottish or Irish oats, are natural, unrefined oat groats that have been cut with steel implements into two or three small pieces for tasty, chewy cereals. They also require a fairly long cooking time.

Rolled oats are large, separate flakes that have first been steamed and then flattened. They also are known as old-fashioned rolled oats and are usually used in cereals, cookies, cakes, breads and toppings for fruit crisps. The “quick” or “instant” rolled oats are processed even further and then heat-treated for faster cooking. The “old-fashioned” rolled oats take only about five minutes to cook.

Oat bran is the outer covering of the whole oat groat. Its nutritive value has been greatly exaggerated. It is used in breads to add flavor.

Oat flour is finely ground from whole oat groats, with much of the bran remaining. The flour is therefore quite nutritious. It can be blended with other flours when baking bread. As it has no gluten, it must be blended with gluten-rich flour for baking. It imparts a delicate, sweet flavor.

When making a crisp, I frequently use the following mixture to top fruit.

Crisp Topping

¼ cup light brown sugar

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup rolled or quick-cooking oats

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

5 tablespoons melted butter

Combine the ingredients and let stand for five minutes. With your fingers mix to form a crumbly mass, then scatter the crumble over fruit in a 2-quart baking dish. Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until the top is brown and the fruit is tender.