 Rolled oats (uncooked) | |
| Alternative names | White oats |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients | Oatgroats |
Oatmeal is apreparation of oats that have beendehusked,steamed, and flattened, or a coarseflour ofhulledoat grains (groats) that have either beenmilled (ground),rolled, orsteel-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.
The oat grains aredehusked 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 oats that have been steamed, flattened by a "flaking roller", and dried. Old-fashioned rolled oats are made from whole oat groats and may be thick and require longer cooking time. Quick-cooking rolled oats are made from steel-cut oats and rolled somewhat thinner. Instant oatmeal is made from more finely cut oats and rolled even thinner, often with a sweetener and flavorings added.[2][3]
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 297 kJ (71 kcal) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
12 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sugars | 0.3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dietary fiber | 1.7 g | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
1.5 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
2.5 g | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other constituents | Quantity | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Water | 83.6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| †Percentages estimated usingUS recommendations for adults,[4] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from theNational Academies.[5] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All types of rolled oats may be eaten uncooked, as inmuesli, or cooked with water or milk to makeporridge. In some countries, rolled oats are eaten raw or toasted with milk and sugar, sometimes with raisins added, as in muesli. The termoatmeal 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 ingranola, in which toasted oats are blended with sugar and/or nuts and raisins, and ingranola bars.
Rolled oats are also used as an ingredient inoatmeal cookies,oatcakes, Britishflapjack bars, and baked oatmealdessert dishes such asapple Brown Betty andapple crisp. Oats may also be added to foods as an accent, as in the topping on many oat bran breads and as the coating onCaboc 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 tomeatloaf.
Unenriched oatmeal, cooked by boiling ormicrowaving, is 84% water and contains 12%carbohydrates, including 2%dietary fiber, and 2% each ofprotein andfat (table). In a 100-gram amount, a serving of cooked oatmeal provides 71Calories and contains 29% of theDaily Value (DV) formanganese and moderate content ofphosphorus andzinc (11% DV each), with no othermicronutrients in a significant quantity (see table on right).
Oatmeal and other oat products were the subject of a 1997 ruling by theFood and Drug Administration that consuming oat bran or whole rolled oats can lower the risk ofheart disease when combined with alow-fat diet via the effect ofoat beta-glucan to reduce levels ofblood cholesterol.[7] A similar conclusion was reached in 2010 by theEuropean Food Safety Authority.[8]
A 2023 review found oat consumption can significantly lowerblood pressure.[9]
In Ireland,stirabout (Irish:leite)[10] was formerly a staple food, made by stirring oatmeal into boiling water ormilk 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, andworkhouses.[13] For example, in 1863, children in workhouses received stirabout for their breakfast: made of half oats and halfcornmeal, each child got 5 oz (140 g) of meal and 0.5 imp pt (0.28 L) of milk.[14] Similarly, in 1891, districtasylum 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]
Oatmeal has a long history inScottish culinary tradition because oats are better suited thanwheat to the country's low temperatures and high humidity.[19] As a result, oats became the staple grain of Scotland. Theancient universities of Scotland had a holiday calledMeal Monday to permit students to return to their farms and collect more oats for food.
Samuel Johnson referred, disparagingly, to this inhis 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 thatLord Elibank was said by SirWalter 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, orrolled, 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 oatcakes are a local component of thefull 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 neighbouringDerbyshire.
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 includeDutchhavermoutpap,Swedishhavregrynsgröt,Danishhavregrød,Norwegianhavregrøt orhavregraut,Icelandichafragrautur,Finnishkaurapuuro,Estoniankaerahelbepuder,Latvianauzu pārslu (putra),Lithuanianavižinių dribsnių košė,Polishowsianka and Russianовсянка (ovsyanka).
Oatmeal porridge has a long tradition in these regions, but during theMiddle Ages porridge made fromrye orbarley was even more common in at least some parts of the area.[27]
In the United States, oatmeal is often served as a porridge[28] with milk or cream and a sweetener, such asbrown sugar,honey, ormaple syrup. The termoatmeal is used in American English to meanporridge. It may include additional ingredients such aspeanut butter,cinnamon, or various types of fruits.[29]
In Nigeria, a common oatmeal dish known as zimbuleh is eaten during the winter months.[citation needed] Traditionally it is sweetened with rawhoney andcardamom. In theEket andKwa Ibo regions it is often served alongside warm milk, and it is customary to pour the milk into the porridge just moments before eating.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)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 to which the grain has been triturated in the mill.
