Week 18 - Bracaist - Scotland

OATMEAL PORRIDGE

As the weather's become colder I've been searching for more hearty breakfast options.  Scottish Oatmeal seemed an obvious winner to chase away the upcoming winter blues.  I know you're thinking, "Oatmeal?  That's boring...."  Well although it is true that eating oatmeal porridge for breakfast is common enough in the West, (although it actually has never been a favourite of mine) it turns out that there's more to Oatmeal than first meets the eye....

Oatmeal has been a staple in Scotland for centuries (at least since Medieval times) as oats are the best crop suited for growth in their blustery climate.  Oatmeal was as common to the Scotch as Ollebrod was to the Danes.  Apparently they used to make it into a thick paste that they would keep cold in a "porridge drawer" for days.  (That's right, furniture designed just for breakfast purposes...)  When the mass of cold porridge got too hard (read congealed) to eat as a porridge they would just slice off a piece and fry it up!   Mmmmmm...

But don't worry, we're not featuring old sliced porridge here today, just the fresh stuff.

Our search for "Scottish" oatmeal in Toronto was surprisingly confusing.  There were dozens of oatmeal porridge products to chose from at the grocery store but I suspected that all those Quaker Oats Instant varieties were a far cry from what the Scots would've traditionally enjoyed.  We settled on the Steel-Cut variety for maximum rustic heartiness and some Devon Double Cream for maximum decadence.  (Sidenote:  I later discovered that the traditional Scottish oats are processed by being ground by a millstone and are called "pinhead" oats.)

Our breakfast was warm, hearty, and enjoyable enough that I ate the left-overs all week until they were gone.

Oatmeal Trivia:

-  Oatmeal purists insist that Oatmeal needs to be prepared with a wooden Spurtle not a spoon.  This apparently avoids the dreaded lumps.

- Oatmeal needs to be stirred clockwise.  (With your Spurtle of course.)  To do otherwise might invite bad luck and the Devil.

-  Oatmeal is friendly to gluten allergy sufferers and is actually very healthy.  It's a low GI food that packs in vitamins and protein and can lower your cholesterol.

-  Oatmeal traditionally is eaten standing up.  No clue why....

The Verdict:

For Ease of Preparation:







A wee bit of care was needed to prevent this from being a lumpy mess, but it was certainly doable on a week-end morning.

For Degree of Separation:







For Guestability:






I suppose this depends as always on your guests, and how you dress it up.  Probably not my top pick...

For Sustainability:






Here's where Oatmeal shines.  A heaping bowl of this and you're good till late lunch.

Overall Appeal:







Here's the thing, a well made bowl of Oatmeal served with some sugar, fruit and Devon cream is delicious; a cold slice hacked from inside a drawer....not so much.

We're coming up fast onto some fun Christmas breakfasts!  But first, join us next time as we make a quick trip to Tunisia.