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Oatmeal porridge

Oatmeal or oatmeal is a porridge made from oatmeal (crushed grains) or oatmeal. It can be thick and liquid. Very liquid porridge is sometimes even considered oat soup, but is also called oatmeal. More details about oatmeal (oatmeal)...Oatmeal is usually considered an English dish. However, the recipe for oatmeal, "real" oatmeal (oat porridge or simply porridge - porridge) comes from Scotland. In the Middle Ages, the main food of Scottish peasants was thick chilled oat mass, which was stored in special wooden boxes and eaten for several days. Dense oatmeal was cut into slices and served for breakfast or, fried, for dinner. Following the medieval Scottish recipe, oat porridge should be prepared from whole or crushed grains (no cereal), only on water, without milk or butter, and even without salt (which, however, is only beneficial). No sugar or other additives are allowed to preserve the special nutty taste of oatmeal. As a last resort, you can salt the ready-made porridge. You need to cook porridge over low heat, stirring constantly. Scots stir porridge with a special wooden device (spurtle) in the form of a thick stick resembling a handle. (At the International Oatmeal Competition, held annually in Scotland, the winner receives a prize in the form of a golden spurtle. ) What is curious - mixed oatmeal with the right hand strictly clockwise. It was thought to deter the evil spirit. Nowadays, oatmeal is often prepared in the microwave. How evil spirits feel about this is still unknown.

There was also a standing oatmeal in the national tradition. Maybe with the aim of improving digestion, but most likely the peasants ate "on the run, " in between the worries of a busy working day.

Traditional Scottish oatmeal can be eaten with milk. It is interesting how exactly this should be done. We put two bowls on the table: one with hot porridge, the second with cold milk or cream. We collect a full spoon of porridge, then dip it in milk and only then send it to our mouths. This produces a contrast of hot and cold.

Some say how to cook oatmeal is only known in Scotland. Most likely, this "correct" bunting can only be in the same place, as a last resort, in England. Why in other countries, especially in Eastern Europe, there are many other, tastier recipes for oat porridge - with sugar, honey, jam, fruits, nuts, etc. - this is unknown to science. At least Scottish and English. By the way, in Eastern Europe, milk or cream is also an almost constant ingredient in the recipe for oat porridge.