Oatmeal

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Oatmeal
Oatmeal.jpg
Rolled oats (uncooked)
Alternative namesWhite oats
Main ingredients Oat groats

Oatmeal is a preparation of oats that have been de-husked, steamed, and flattened, or a coarse flour of hulled oat 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 they 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.

Contents

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]

Food uses

Oatmeal cookies made with oatmeal, flour, sugar and butter 091223 galletas de avena.JPG
Oatmeal cookies made with oatmeal, flour, sugar and butter
Unenriched oatmeal, cooked with water
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy 297 kJ (71 kcal)
12 g
Sugars 0.3
Dietary fiber 1.7 g
Fat
1.5 g
2.5 g
Vitamins and minerals
Vitamins Quantity
%DV
Vitamin A equiv.
0%
0 μg
Thiamine (B1)
7%
0.08 mg
Riboflavin (B2)
2%
0.02 mg
Niacin (B3)
1%
0.23 mg
Pantothenic acid (B5)
4%
0.197 mg
Vitamin B6
0%
0.005 mg
Folate (B9)
2%
6 μg
Vitamin C
0%
0 mg
Vitamin E
1%
0.08 mg
Vitamin K
0%
0.3 μg
Minerals Quantity
%DV
Calcium
1%
9 mg
Iron
5%
0.9 mg
Magnesium
6%
27 mg
Manganese
26%
0.6 mg
Phosphorus
6%
77 mg
Potassium
2%
70 mg
Sodium
0%
4 mg
Zinc
9%
1 mg
Other constituentsQuantity
Water83.6

Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults, [4] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies. [5]

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 microwaving, 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 a significant quantity (see table on right).

Health effects

Oatmeal and other oat products were the subject of a 1997 ruling by the Food and Drug Administration that consuming oat bran or whole rolled oats can lower the risk of heart disease when combined with a low-fat diet via the effect of oat beta-glucan to reduce levels of blood cholesterol. [7] A similar conclusion was reached in 2010 by the European Food Safety Authority. [8]

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:

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 Dutch havermoutpap, Swedish havregrynsgröt, Danish havregrød, Norwegian havregrøt or havregraut, Icelandic hafragrautur, Finnish kaurapuuro, Estonian kaerahelbepuder, Latvian auzu pārslu (putra), Lithuanian avižinių dribsnių košė, Polish owsianka 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, honey, or maple syrup. 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 regions it is often served alongside warm milk, and it is customary to pour the milk into the porridge just moments before eating.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Porridge</span> Food

Porridge is a food made by heating or boiling ground, crushed or chopped starchy plants, typically grain, in milk or water. It is often cooked or served with added flavourings such as sugar, honey, fruit, or syrup to make a sweet cereal, or it can be mixed with spices, meat, or vegetables to make a savoury dish. It is usually served hot in a bowl, depending on its consistency. Oat porridge, or oatmeal, is one of the most common types of porridge. Gruel is a thinner version of porridge and congee is a savoury variation of porridge of Asian origin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breakfast cereal</span> Processed food made from grain

Breakfast cereal is a category of food, including food products, made from processed cereal grains that are eaten as part of breakfast, or as a snack food, primarily in Western societies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cornmeal</span> Meal (coarse flour) ground from dried corn

Cornmeal is a meal ground from dried corn (maize). It is a common staple food and is ground to coarse, medium, and fine consistencies, but it is not as fine as wheat flour can be. In Mexico and Louisiana, very finely ground cornmeal is referred to as corn flour. When fine cornmeal is made from maize that has been soaked in an alkaline solution, e.g., limewater, it is called masa harina, which is used for making arepas, tamales, and tortillas. Boiled cornmeal is called polenta in Italy and is also a traditional dish and bread substitute in Romania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Finnish cuisine</span> Culinary tradition

Finnish cuisine is notable for generally combining traditional country fare and haute cuisine with contemporary continental-style cooking. Fish and meat play a prominent role in traditional Finnish dishes in some parts of the country, while the dishes elsewhere have traditionally included various vegetables and mushrooms. Evacuees from Karelia contributed to foods in other parts of Finland in the aftermath of the Continuation War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White pudding</span> Meat and grain dish

White pudding, oatmeal pudding or mealy pudding is a meat dish popular in the Islands of Ireland and Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rice pudding</span> Dish made from rice mixed with water or milk

Rice pudding is a dish made from rice mixed with water or milk and commonly other ingredients such as sweeteners, spices, flavourings and sometimes eggs.

Gruel is a food consisting of some type of cereal—such as ground oats, wheat, rye, or rice—heated or boiled in water or milk. It is a thinner version of porridge that may be more often drunk rather than eaten. Historically, gruel has been a staple of the Western diet, especially for peasants. Gruel may also be made from millet, hemp, barley, or, in hard times, from chestnut flour or even the less bitter acorns of some oaks. Gruel has historically been associated with feeding the sick and recently-weaned children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kissel</span> Viscous fruit dish, served as dessert or drink

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Groat (grain)</span> Hulled kernels of various cereal grains

Groats are the hulled kernels of various cereal grains, such as oats, wheat, rye, and barley. Groats are whole grains that include the cereal germ and fiber-rich bran portion of the grain, as well as the endosperm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kasha</span> Type of porridge

In English, kasha usually refers to the pseudocereal buckwheat or its culinary preparations. In Eastern European cuisine, kasha can apply to any kind of cooked grain. It can be baked but most often is boiled, either in water or milk, and therefore the term coincides with the English definition of 'porridge', but the word can also refer to the grain before preparation, which corresponds to the definition of 'groats'. Kasha is eaten widely in Belarus (каша), the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Moldova, Russia (каша), Slovakia, Slovenia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine (каша), where the term, besides buckwheat, can apply to wheat, barley, oats, millet, rye and even rice. Kasha has been an important element of Slavic diet for at least 1,000 years.

Hasty pudding is a pudding or porridge of grains cooked in milk or water. In the United States, it often refers specifically to a version made primarily with ground ("Indian") corn, and it is mentioned in the lyrics of "Yankee Doodle", a traditional American song of the eighteenth century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rolled oats</span> Food made from oat groats

Rolled oats are a type of lightly processed whole-grain food. They are made from oat groats that have been dehusked and steamed, before being rolled into flat flakes under heavy rollers and then stabilized by being lightly toasted.

Brose is a Scots word for an uncooked form of porridge, whereby oatmeal is mixed with boiling water and allowed to stand for a short time. It is eaten with salt and butter, milk, or buttermilk. A version of brose made with ground oats and cold water is called crowdie, although that term is more often used for a type of cheese.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steel-cut oats</span> Groats of whole oats cut into pieces

Steel-cut oats (US), also called pinhead oats, coarse oatmeal (UK), or Irish oatmeal, are groats of whole oats which have been chopped into two or three pinhead-sized pieces. The pieces can then be sold, or processed further to make rolled oat flakes, of smaller size than flakes of whole groats. Steel-cutting produces oatmeal with a chewier and coarser texture than other processes.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Scotland

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Full breakfast</span> Breakfast served in Great Britain and Ireland

A full breakfast or fry-up is a substantial cooked breakfast meal often served in Great Britain and Ireland. Depending on the region, it may also be referred to as a full English, a full Irish, full Scottish, full Welsh or Ulster fry. The fried breakfast became popular in Great Britain and Ireland during the Victorian era, with the full breakfast appearing in Isabella Beeton's Book of Household Management (1861).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oatcake</span> Oat flatbread like a cracker or biscuit

An oatcake is a type of flatbread similar to a cracker or biscuit, or in some versions takes the form of a pancake. They are prepared with oatmeal as the primary ingredient, and sometimes include plain or wholemeal flour as well. Oatcakes are cooked on a griddle or baked in an oven.

References

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