@gailcalled – sorry my friend but this may be lengthy, But heck, Porridge is Important to the Scots! lol
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THE HISTORY OF PORRIDGE – once upon a time
Porridge has been around for yonks and is most strongly associated with the Scots but the Welsh often ate oats, too.
Dr (Samuel) Johnson’s 18th Century dictionary definition of oats reads “a grain which in England is given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people.” And was in fact a dig at them.
There are many traditions and myths surround the making of porridge. Some say the oatmeal was to be added in batches, some say at the beginning and some say it ought to be added half way through the cooking to produce a nuttier flavour and interesting texture.
Some say that porridge should be allowed to stand and than be re-heated, others say that it should be made the day before it is to be eaten.
There was a belief that porridge should only be stirred in a clockwise direction using the right hand so you didn’t evoke the ‘devil’.
Porridge was often spoken of as ‘they’ and an old custom states that it should be eaten standing up and using a bone spoon.
To eat, a bowl of porridge was cupped in cold hands to warm them, and each spoonful of steaming porridge was dipped into a cup of cold milk, cream or buttermilk before eating.
Oats were also cooked and poured into a mould – sometimes even a drawer, and allowed to set. The solid oat slab (perhaps the earliest incarnations of oat biscuits or muesli slice!) were then sliced and taken to work to be eaten through the day.
While oats are considered a relative newcomer to modern day agriculture, the first traces of cultivation of wild strains date from about 1000 BC in Europe.
The Greeks and Romans found the grain coarse and inedible and dubbed it ‘barbarian’s food’ and fed it to their animals. They did however plant and harvest oat crops in Britain where it became eaten widely in Wales and even more so in Scotland – hence Dr Johnson’s jibe.
Oats were introduced to America by Scottish immigrants. They were first grown in Massachusetts in 1602 and early recipes have a strong Scottish influence, but it wasn’t until the mid-19th century when the means of making porridge quickly, by using oat flakes, that saw the breakfast dish gain in popularity.
In 1877, the Quaker Oat Company developed the method of cutting, steaming and rolling the oats to create oat flakes or rolled oats as we best know them today.
Marian McNeill wrote in her 1929 recipe book “The Scot’s Kitchen”, ‘the one and only method’ for making porridge. She recommends the cook be ‘very particular about the quality of the oatmeal. Midlothian oats are reputed to be unsurpassed but the small Highland oats are very sweet.’
Her instructions are to bring the water to the boil, and then add coarse oatmeal, ‘in a steady rain from the left hand, stirring it briskly the while with the right, sunwise, are with the right hand turn for luck – and convenience.’
Once the porridge has returned to the boil, it should be cooked slowly for 20–30 minutes, using a special stick known as a spurtle or theevil, to stir.
It’s during cooking that the starches in the oats soften, resulting in the thick and creamy textured mixture.
Porridge certainly has a long and interesting history.
Of course porridge became immortalised with thanks to English poet Robert Southey’s 1837 prose of The Story of the Three Bears (although it’s believed there are even earlier variations) and later published in “Old Nursery Stories and Rhymes” in 1904 as Goldilocks and the Three Bears.
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How To Make Porridge
How to make porridge the traditional Scottish way is to use the finest Scots porridge oats or a good quality oatmeal. Though the Scottishrecipes.co.uk team like to use the Tesco own label porridge much more than the more expensive porridge oats. It has a lighter and creamier texture and is easy and quick to make. Ideally soak the oats overnight in the quantity of water needed for each portion. This results in fluffier and tastier porridge recipes and is especially important for those using finer oatmeal. Traditionally you should stir clockwise but stirring this way and anticlockwise would help break up the oats and stop it sticking to the saucepan.
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