Oatcake
| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | Scotland |
| Details | |
| Type | Cracker or pancake |
| Main ingredient(s) | Oatmeal |
An oatcake is a type of flatbread, similar to a cracker, made from oatmeal, and sometimes flour as well. Oatcakes are cooked on a griddle (girdle in Scotland)[1][2] or baked in an oven. Oatcake variations exist based upon different preparations in various regions and countries.
Contents |
Scottish oatcakes [edit]
In Scotland, oatcakes are made on a girdle 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 which grow well in the north of Scotland and were, until the 20th century, the staple grain used.
Scottish soldiers in the 14th century carried a metal plate and a sack of oatmeal. According to contemporary accounts, one 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." [3][4]
Samuel Johnson referred, disparagingly, to this staple diet in his dictionary definition for oats:
- A grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people.
Lord Elibank was said by Sir Walter Scott to have retorted
- Yes, and where else will you see such horses and such men?[5]
The texture may vary from rough to fine depending on how the oats are ground. Oatcakes may be slightly chewy or hard depending the water content and 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 onwards 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.[6][7]
Nowadays, many brands of oatcakes are commercially available, such as Nairns, Paterson's, and Walkers. Apart from those larger commercial manufacturers of oatcakes, there are many local bakers providing variations on the basic recipe.
Similar oatcakes are produced in Ireland, in a shared tradition with the Scots. Ditty's is a brand of Irish oatcake.
Queen Elizabeth II typically has Scottish oatcakes for breakfast[8] and Walkers Oatcakes carry a Royal Warrant.[9] British Prime Minister David Cameron named Scottish oatcakes as his favourite cake.[10]
North Staffordshire and Derbyshire oatcakes [edit]
A North Staffordshire oatcake is a type of pancake made from oatmeal, flour and yeast. It is cooked on a griddle or 'baxton'. The oatcake is a local speciality in the North Staffordshire area of England. They are normally referred to as Staffordshire oatcakes or possibly Potteries oatcakes by non-locals, because they were made in this area. In and around Staffordshire and Cheshire they are often simply known as oatcakes.
Derbyshire oatcakes are similar to Staffordshire oatcakes, but while following a similar (or even the same) recipe are generally larger in diameter, and thicker. For example the same recipe will make four Derbyshire or twelve Staffordshire style oatcakes.[11]
It was once common throughout the Potteries for oatcakes to be sold directly from the window of a house to customers on the street. The last producer in this style closed on the 25th of March 2012; however, there are many small commercial premises who sell oatcakes. Larger commercial enterprises exist that sell oatcakes to supermarkets and other large distribution chains.
Oatcakes can be a form of fast food. Catering outlets in the area usually offer oatcakes with fillings such as cheese, tomato, onion, bacon, sausage, and egg. They can also be eaten with sweet fillings such as golden syrup, jam or banana, but this is less common and frowned upon by traditionalists. They are traditionally re-heated by steaming between two plates over a saucepan of water or nowadays by microwave, though some may prefer frying in butter or grilling.
Lancashire oatcakes [edit]
A Lancashire oatcake bears a passing resemblance to a Derbyshire oatcake, but is made without wheat flour or milk, and shaped as an approximate 11-by-6-inch (28 cm × 15 cm) oval, smooth on one side and rough on the other, and traditionally cooked on a bakestone. It may be eaten moist, rolled up like a pancake with a filling, or dried hung over a rack until a crisp cracker. The dried version served with a beef and cowheel stew is known as "stew and hard".[12] Once common throughout Lancashire, it is now rarely found.
Canadian oatcakes [edit]
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".[13]
Oatcakes in Canada gradually 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.
See also [edit]
Oatcake at Wikibook Cookbooks
Food portal
References [edit]
- ^ Chambers English Dictionary. W. & R. Chambers and Cambridge University Press. 1987. pp. 599, 624. ISBN 1-85296-000-0.
- ^ Mairi Robinson, ed. (1987). The Concise Scots Dictionary. Aberdeen University Press. p. 233. ISBN 0-08-028492-2.
- ^ McNeill, Marian (1929). "Bannocks, Scones, and Tea-bread". The Scots Kitchen (in English) (1993 ed.). Blackie & Son Ltd/Mercat Press Ltd. p. 175. ISBN 10:1-84183-070-4 Check
|isbn=value (help). - ^ "Feasting with Shadows". Outremer.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-02-06.
- ^ 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 and Tom Jaine (2006). The Oxford companion to food. Oxford University Press. p. 185.
- ^ "Right royal requirements". BBC. 2000-10-10.
- ^ "Scottish oatcake". Walkers Shortbread Ltd.
- ^ "Let them eat oatcake". The Scotsman. 2009-10-17.
- ^ "BBC Derby oatcake recipe". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-02-06.
- ^ James, Philippa, "Oatcakes – rediscovering a Lancashire tradition", Lancashire Life, 15 February 2011, retrieved 9 February 2013
- ^ 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. ISBN 978-1-926780-00-9.
- Sinclair, Molly. Scottish Heritage Cookbook. Heritage Cookbooks. Mission San Jose, California: 1990.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Oatcake |
- Complete listing of North Staffs Oatcake Shops
- Staffordshire oatcakes information
- Walkers Shortbread oatcakes information
- Nairns Oatcakes Serving Guide
- A local family take on the history of North Staffordshire Oatcakes, with easy recipes
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