Oatmeal is a
preparation of oats that have been
de-husked,
steamed, and flattened, or a coarse
flour of
hulledoat grains (
groats) that have either been
milled (ground),
rolled, or
steel-cut. Ground oats are also called white oats.
Steel-cut oats are known as coarse oatmeal, Irish oatmeal, or pinhead oats.
Rolled oats were traditionally thick old-fashioned oats, but can be made thinner or smaller, and may be categorized as quick oatmeal or instant oatmeal depending on the cooking time required, which is determined by the size of the oats and the amount of precooking.
Industrial preparation and varieties
The oat grains are
de-husked by impact, and are then heated and cooled to stabilize the groats, the seed inside the husk. The groats may be milled to produce fine, medium, or coarse oatmeal.[1]
Rolled oats are steamed and flattened whole oat groats. Old-fashioned oats may be thick and require longer cooking time. Quick-cooking rolled oats are cut into small pieces before being steamed and rolled. Instant oatmeal is cooked and dried, often with a sweetener and flavorings added.[2][3]
Both types of rolled oats may be eaten uncooked, as in
muesli, or cooked with water or milk to make
porridge. In some countries, rolled oats are eaten raw or toasted with milk and sugar, sometimes with raisins added, as in muesli. The term 'oatmeal' sometimes refers to a porridge made from the bran or fibrous husk as well as from the kernel or groat.[6] Rolled oats are often used as a key ingredient in
granola, in which toasted oats are blended with sugar and/or nuts and raisins, and in
granola bars.
Rolled oats are also used as an ingredient in
oatmeal cookies,
oatcakes, British
flapjack bars, and baked oatmeal
dessert dishes such as
apple Brown Betty and
apple crisp. Oats may also be added to foods as an accent, as in the topping on many oat bran breads and as the coating on
Caboc cheese. Oatmeal is also used as a thickening agent in savory Arabic or Egyptian meat-and-vegetable soups, and sometimes as a way of adding relatively low-cost fibre and nutritional content to
meatloaf.
Nutrition
Unenriched oatmeal, cooked by boiling or
microwave, is 84% water, and contains 12%
carbohydrates, including 2%
dietary fiber, and 2% each of
protein and
fat (table). In a 100-gram amount, a serving of cooked oatmeal provides 71
Calories and contains 29% of the
Daily Value (DV) for
manganese and moderate content of
phosphorus and
zinc (11% DV each), with no other
micronutrients in significant quantity (see table on right).
A 2023 review found oat consumption can significantly lower
blood pressure.[9]
Regional variations
Ireland
In Ireland, stirabout (
Irish: leite)[10] was formerly a staple food, made by stirring oatmeal into boiling water or
milk to form a thin soup. It could be flavoured with cream, sugar, butter, salt, honey, seeds or fruit on top.[11][12]
Because of its cheapness, and the ease with which it could be prepared in large quantities, stirabout was widely served in institutions like prisons,
boarding schools,
convents and
workhouses.[13] For example, in 1863, children in workhouses received stirabout for their breakfast: made of half oats and half
cornmeal, each child got 5 oz (140 g) of meal and 0.5 imp pt (0.28 L) of milk.[14] Similarly, in 1891, district
asylum inmates got 6–8 oz (170–230 g) of meal in stirabout every morning.[15] Similarly, in the 20th century, prisoners got between 0.5 imp pt (0.28 L) and 1 imp pt (0.57 L) of stirabout for breakfast in many Irish jails.[16][17][18]
Scotland
Oatmeal has a long history in
Scottish culinary tradition because oats are better suited than
wheat to the country's low temperatures and high humidity.[19] As a result, oats became the staple grain of
Scotland. The
ancient universities of Scotland had a holiday called
Meal Monday to permit students to return to their farms and collect more oats for food.
Samuel Johnson referred, disparagingly, to this in
his dictionary definition for oats: "A
grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people." His biographer,
James Boswell, noted that
Lord Elibank was said by Sir
Walter Scott to have retorted, "Yes, and where else will you see such horses and such men?"[20]
In Scotland, oatmeal is created by grinding oats into a coarse powder.[21] It may be ground fine, medium, or coarse, or
rolled, or the groats may be chopped in two or three pieces to make what is described as pinhead oatmeal.[22] Ground oatmeal, rolled oats, and pinhead oatmeal, are all used (throughout Britain); one Scots manufacturer describes varieties as "Scottish Porridge Oats" (rolled), "Scottish Oatmeal" (medium ground), and "Pinhead Oatmeal".[23] The main uses are:
Brose: a thick mixture made with uncooked oatmeal (or medium oatmeal that has been dry toasted by stirring it around in a dry pot over heat until it turns a slightly darker shade and emits a sweet, nutty fragrance) and then adding butter or cream. Quick-cooking
rolled oats (distinct from "instant" variations) are often used for this purpose nowadays, because they are quicker to prepare.[22]
Gruel, made by mixing oatmeal with cold water that is strained and heated for the benefit of infants and people recovering from illness.
as the main ingredient of the
Scottish dish
skirlie, or its chip-shop counterpart, the deep-fried thickly-battered
mealy pudding
mixed with sheep's blood, salt, and pepper to make Highland
black pudding (marag dubh).
mixed with fat, water, onions and seasoning, and boiled in a sheep's intestine to make marag geal, Outer Hebridean
white pudding, served sliced with fried eggs at breakfast. A sweeter version with dried fruit is also known.
in sowans, not strictly made from the meal but as a porridge-like dish made from the fermented inner husks of oats[24][25]
Staffordshire
Staffordshire oatcakes are a local component of the
full English breakfast. It is a plate-sized pancake, made with medium oatmeal and wheatmeal (flour), along with yeast. Once the mixture has risen, it is ladled onto a griddle or bakestone and dried through. Staffordshire oatcakes are commonly paired with bacon, sausages, mushrooms, kidney, and baked beans, among others.[26] A related oatcake is sometimes found in neighbouring
Derbyshire.
The Netherlands, the Nordic countries, the Baltics and Russia
Throughout the Netherlands, the Nordic countries, the Baltic states and Russia, oatmeal porridge made from rolled oats and water or milk is a traditional breakfast staple. Known under various local names meaning "oat porridge", "oat flake porridge" or "oatmeal porridge", it is normally made either savoury or sweet by adding salt or sugar, and it is often eaten with added nuts, raisins or dried fruits as well as spices, most commonly cinnamon. Local names for the porridge include
Dutchhavermoutpap,
Swedishhavregrynsgröt,
Danishhavregrød,
Norwegianhavregrøt or havregraut,
Icelandichafragrautur,
Finnishkaurapuuro,
Estoniankaerahelbepuder,
Latvianauzu pārslu (putra),
Lithuanianavižinių dribsnių košė,
Polishowsianka and Russian "овсянка" (ovsyanka).
Oatmeal porridge has a long tradition in these regions, but during the
Middle Ages porridge made from
rye or
barley was even more common in at least some parts of the area.[27]
United States
In the United States, oatmeal is often served as a porridge[28] with milk or cream and a sweetener, such as
brown sugar or
honey. The term oatmeal is used in
American English to mean
porridge. It may include additional ingredients such as
peanut butter,
cinnamon or various types of fruits.[29]
Nigeria
In Nigeria, a common oatmeal dish known as Zimbuleh is eaten during the winter months[citation needed]. Traditionally it is sweetened with raw
honey and
cardamom. In the
Eket and
Kwa Ibo region it is often served alongside warm milk, and it is customary to pour it into the porridge just moments before eating.
Gallery
Food preparations using oatmeal
Quaker-brand single-serving flavoured "instant" oatmeal packet to make a quick oat
porridge
^National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine Division; Food and Nutrition Board; Committee to Review the Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium (2019). Oria, Maria; Harrison, Meghan; Stallings, Virginia A. (eds.).
Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. The National Academies Collection: Reports funded by National Institutes of Health. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US).
ISBN978-0-309-48834-1.
PMID30844154.{{
cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)
^EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (2010). "Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of a health claim related to oat beta glucan and lowering blood cholesterol and reduced risk of (coronary) heart disease pursuant to Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006". EFSA Journal. 8 (12): 1885.
doi:
10.2903/j.efsa.2010.1885.
^The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.: Including a Journal of His Tour to the Hebrides. Volume 3 by James Boswell. New York: Derby & Jackson, 1858. Page 11.
^The Food Journal. London: J.M. Johnson & Sons. 1874. Retrieved Feb 14, 2010. The grain of oats, intended for human food, is generally prepared by being ground into meal; although it is also used in the form of groats, that is, of grain denuded of its husk, and merely broken into fragments. Oatmeal is of two kinds, both common in all shops in which it is sold, fine meal, and coarse or round meal. For various purposes, some prefer the one and some the other. There is no difference in quality, but merely in the degree in which the grain has been triturated in the mill.