A painting of a woman making oat cakes, painted by George Walker (1781–1856). Image taken from The costume of Yorkshire
Oatcakes have been documented as existing in Caledonia (subsequently Scotland after the 9th century) since at least the time of the Roman conquest of Britain in AD 43, and likely before then.[7][unreliable source?] Oatcakes have also been described as being the "mainstay of Scottish breads for centuries".[7][unreliable source?]Jean Le Bel, around AD 1357–1360 describes the Beguine nuns making "little pancakes rather like communion wafers". This is thought to be an early description of a Scottish oatcake.[8]
Regional variations
Oatcake variations exist based upon the different preparations in various countries and regions.
Great Britain
Seen as a typically Scottish food item, oatcakes have also long been made elsewhere in Britain.[9] Oatcakes may replace toast at breakfast in Scotland.[10]
Queen Elizabeth II typically had Scottish oatcakes for breakfast[11] and Walkers Oatcakes carry a Royal Warrant.[12] British Prime Minister David Cameron named Scottish oatcakes as his favourite cake.[13]
England
The Universal British Directory of Trade, Commerce and Manufacture of the 1790s notes the bread of High Furness being thin oatcakes, whilst in Lancashire a leavened oatcake known as riddle bread was made.[14] The Staffordshire oatcake is quite different from those from Scotland, being more of a pancake in form, containing a significant proportion of wheat flour along with oatmeal.[3][4] In Yorkshire, oatcakes are cooked from the bottom only, and the tops are bubbly in appearance.[1]
In Scotland, oatcakes are made on a girdle (or griddle, in other forms of English) or by baking rounds of oatmeal on a tray. If the rounds are large, they are sliced into farls before baking. Oats are one of the few grains that grow well in the north of Scotland and were, until the 20th century, the staple grain eaten in that area.
Scottish soldiers in the 14th century carried a metal plate and a sack of oatmeal. According to contemporary accounts, a soldier would heat the plate over fire, moisten a bit of oatmeal and make a cake to "comfort his stomach. Hence it is no marvel that the Scots should be able to make longer marches than other men."[17][18]
Yes, and where else will you see such horses and such men?[19]
The texture may vary from rough to fine depending on how the oats are ground. Oatcakes may be slightly chewy or hard, depending on the water content and for how long they are cooked. Oatcakes were traditionally eaten with every meal as a major source of carbohydrate in the diet. From the 19th century onward, they were commonly served to accompany soups, meat, and fish dishes. Today, they are sometimes eaten as an alternative to bread or toast at breakfast.[20][21]
Nowadays, many brands of oatcakes are commercially available, such as Nairn's, Stockan's, Paterson's, and Walkers.[22] Apart from those larger commercial manufacturers of oatcakes, there are many local bakers providing variations on the basic recipe.
In Wales, oatcakes tend to resemble savoury pancakes.[1] They were sometimes crumbled up and used as one of the ingredients of brewis, a staple breakfast.[citation needed]
Oatcakes similar to the Scottish variety are produced in Ireland,[23] in shared tradition with the Scots.[24]Ditty's is a Northern Irish brand of oatcake.[25][26]
Canada
Scottish immigrants to the New World brought the recipe for this sustaining food to Canada. One such journey was HMS Elizabeth, which brought immigrants to Prince Edward Island in 1775. Caught in a storm just off the coast of the island, the settlers and crew all survived and made it to the island in life boats, where they waited for three days for the storm to die down. When they returned to their ship to retrieve their possessions and provisions, they discovered that several barrels of oats were among the few foodstuffs that remained. The oats were full of sand and salt water, but that didn't stop them from breaking out the frying pans and cooking oatcakes as their first meal in days. One settler wrote in his journal, "This I thought was the Sweetest morsel I ever Ate in my life though the Outside was burnt black and the middle was not half done".[27]
Oatcakes in Canada gradually[when?] moved from being a mainstay of the diet to being a part of afternoon tea. Sweet and savoury versions were developed, to be served with jam or cheese respectively.
^McNeill, Marian (1929). "Bannocks, Scones, and Tea-bread". The Scots Kitchen (1993 ed.). Blackie & Son Ltd/Mercat Press Ltd. p. 175. ISBN1-84183-070-4.
^The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D.: Including a Journal of His Tour to the Hebrides. Volume 3 by James Boswell. Edited by John Wilson Croker. Publisher: Derby & Jackson, New York, 1858. Page 11.
^Elizabeth Foyster; Christopher A. Whatley (2009). A History of Everyday Life in Scotland, 1600 to 1800. Edinburgh University Press. p. 139.
^Alan Davidson & Tom Jaine (2006). The Oxford companion to food. Oxford University Press. p. 185.
^"Products". Ditty's Home Bakery. Archived from the original on 5 September 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
^"About us". Ditty's Home Bakery. Archived from the original on 5 September 2014. Retrieved 1 May 2014.
^Roy, Suman and Brooke Ali (2010). From Pemmican to Poutine: A Journey Through Canada's Culinary History. Toronto: The Key Publishing House, Inc. p. 16. ISBN978-1-926780-00-9.
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