View source for Oatcake

{{Short description|Oat flatbread like a cracker or biscuit}}
{{for-multi|the large oat pancake local to Staffordshire, England|Staffordshire oatcake|the Stoke City F.C. fanzine|The Oatcake (Fanzine)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2013}}
{{Infobox food
| name             = Oatcake
| image            = Oatcakes (1).jpg
| image_size       = 250px
| caption          = Oatcakes
| alternate_name   =
| country          = [[United Kingdom]]
| region           =
| creator          =
| course           =
| type             = [[Cracker (food)|Cracker]] or [[biscuit]]
| served           =
| main_ingredient  = [[Oat]]s, salt, water (Scottish variety)<ref name="Martin-2014"/>
| variations       =
| calories         =
| other            =
}}

An '''oatcake''' is a type of [[flatbread]] similar to a [[cracker (food)|cracker]] or [[biscuit]],<ref name="Martin-2014">{{cite web|last=Martin|first=James|title=Oatcakes recipes|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/oatcake|publisher=[[BBC Food]]|access-date=1 May 2014}}</ref><ref name="Cuthbert-2007">{{cite book|author1=Pippa Cuthbert|author2=Lindsay Cameron Wilson|title=Cookies!|date=2007|publisher=New Holland Publishers|isbn=9781845376819|page=68|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kBv0R-Aqv80C&pg=PA68}}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="Cauvain-2009" /> or in some versions takes the form of a [[pancake]].  They are prepared with [[oatmeal]] as the primary ingredient, and sometimes include [[Flour#Plain or all-purpose flour|plain]] or [[Wholemeal flour|wholemeal]] [[flour]] as well.<ref name="Scott-2013"/> Oatcakes are cooked on a [[griddle]] (''girdle'' in [[Scots language|Scots]])<ref>{{Cite book|title= Chambers English Dictionary |publisher= [[W. & R. Chambers]] and [[Cambridge University Press]] |year= 1987 |isbn= 1-85296-000-0 |pages= 599, 624}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|editor= Mairi Robinson |title= The Concise Scots Dictionary |publisher= Aberdeen University Press |year= 1987 |isbn= 0-08-028492-2 |page= 233}}</ref> or baked in an [[oven]].

==History==
[[File:Making oat cakes - The costume of Yorkshire (1814), plate IX, opposite 21 - BL.jpg|thumb|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 [[Scotland]] since at least the time of the [[Roman conquest of Britain]] in AD 43, and likely before then.<ref name="Albert-2010">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d7n5oWGAB4UC&pg=PT194 | title=The Tale of Oat Cake Crag | publisher=Penguin | author=Albert, Susan Wittig | year=2010 | pages=194 | isbn=978-1101459904}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=September 2022}} Oatcakes have also been described as being the "mainstay of Scottish breads for centuries".<ref name="Albert-2010"/>{{unreliable source?|date=September 2022}} [[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.<ref name="Le Bel-1290">{{cite book|last=Le Bel|first=Jehan|title=The True Chronicles of Jean Le Bel|date=1290–1360|publisher=Boydell & Brewer Ltd, 2011|location=Scotland|isbn=9781843836940|page=40|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UcZEUaVo6zIC&q=scottish+oatcake&pg=PA40}}</ref>

==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.<ref name="Hope-2010">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yJWnzaM_12kC&pg=PA110 | title=A Caledonian Feast | publisher=Canongate Books | author=Hope, Annette | year=2010 | pages=110 | isbn=978-1847674425 }}{{Dead link|date=March 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Oatcakes may replace toast at breakfast in Scotland.<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/britain0000full | url-access=registration | title=Great Britain | publisher=Marshall Cavendish | author=Fuller, Barbara | year=2005 | pages=[https://archive.org/details/britain0000full/page/125 125] | isbn=0761418458}}</ref>

Queen [[Elizabeth II]] typically had Scottish oatcakes for breakfast<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/965079.stm|title=Right royal requirements|publisher=BBC|date=10 October 2000}}</ref> and Walkers Oatcakes carry a [[Royal Warrant of Appointment (United Kingdom)|Royal Warrant]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.walkersshortbread.com/products/scottish-oatcake|title=Scottish oatcake|publisher=Walkers Shortbread Ltd|access-date=28 October 2010|archive-date=22 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722174824/http://www.walkersshortbread.com/products/scottish-oatcake|url-status=dead}}</ref> British Prime Minister [[David Cameron]] named Scottish oatcakes as his favourite cake.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.scotsman.com/latestnews/Let-them-eat-oatcake-Tory.5742458.jp|title=Let them eat oatcake|work=The Scotsman|date=17 October 2009|location=Edinburgh}}</ref>

====England====
''The Universal British Directory of Trade, Commerce and Manufacture'' of the 1790s notes the bread of [[Furness|High Furness]] being thin oatcakes, whilst in [[Lancashire]] a [[Leavening agent|leavened]] oatcake known as riddle bread was made.<ref>{{cite book|author=Peter Barfoot|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4QwHAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA648|title=The Universal British Directory of Trade, Commerce and Manufacture, Volume 4|last2=John Wilkes (of Milland House, Sussex.)|year=1790|pages=648}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Cauvain-2009">{{cite book|last=Cauvain & Young|title=More Baking Problems Solved|date=26 August 2009|publisher=Elsevier|isbn=9781845697204|page=190|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qrmkAgAAQBAJ&q=scottish+oatcake&pg=PA190}}</ref><ref name="Scott-2013">{{cite news|last=Scott|first=Chloe|title=How to make the ultimate Staffordshire oatcake|url=http://metro.co.uk/2013/10/22/how-to-make-the-ultimate-staffordshire-oatcake-4154960/|access-date=25 April 2014|newspaper=Metro|date=22 October 2013 <!-- 6:00 am --> }}</ref> In [[Yorkshire]], oatcakes are cooked from the bottom only, and the tops are bubbly in appearance.<ref name="Martin-2014"/>

The [[Duke of Wellington's Regiment]] was nicknamed the '''Havercakes''' due to their [[recruiting sergeant]]s bearing oat cakes on the end of their swords.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6Sg9AAAAYAAJ&dq=havercake&pg=PA258|title=Lancashire Folk-lore: Illustrative of the Superstitious Beliefs and Practices, Local Customs and Usages of the People of the County Palatine|first1=John|last1=Harland|first2=Thomas Turner|last2=Wilkinson|date=16 August 1867|publisher=F. Warne|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HdgRAAAAYAAJ&dq=havercake&pg=PA244|title=The United Service Magazine|date=16 August 1869|publisher=H. Colburn|via=Google Books}}</ref>

<gallery class="center" caption="" widths="200px" heights="180px"> 
File:Oatcakes.jpg|[[Staffordshire oatcake]]s
File:Oat cakes in the Beamish Museum.JPG|Oatcakes in the [[Beamish Museum]], near [[Durham, England|Durham]], England
</gallery>

====Scotland====
In Scotland, oatcakes are made on a [[griddle|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 [[farl]]s 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."<ref name="McNeill-1929">{{cite book|last=McNeill|first=Marian|title=The Scots Kitchen|year=1929|publisher=Blackie & Son Ltd/Mercat Press Ltd|isbn=1-84183-070-4|page=175|edition=1993|chapter=Bannocks, Scones, and Tea-bread}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://outremer.co.uk/feasting.html |title=Feasting with Shadows |publisher=Outremer.co.uk |access-date=6 February 2013}}</ref>

[[Samuel Johnson]] referred, disparagingly, to this staple diet in [[A Dictionary of the English Language|his dictionary]] definition for oats:
:A grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people.

[[Patrick Murray, 5th Lord Elibank|Lord Elibank]] was said by Sir [[Walter Scott]] to have retorted
:Yes, and where else will you see such horses and such men?<ref>''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.</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite book|title=A History of Everyday Life in Scotland, 1600 to 1800|author1=Elizabeth Foyster |author2=Christopher A. Whatley |page=139|year=2009|publisher=Edinburgh University Press}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The Oxford companion to food|author1=Alan Davidson  |author2=Tom Jaine |name-list-style=amp |page=185|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2006}}</ref>

Nowadays, many brands of oatcakes are commercially available, such as Nairn's, Stockan's, Paterson's, and [[Walkers Shortbread|Walkers]].<ref>[https://rutherglenheritage.wixsite.com/website-46/oatcakes-Rutherglen-history History of Oatcake Making in Rutherglen] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911184940/https://rutherglenheritage.wixsite.com/website-46/oatcakes-rutherglen-history |date=11 September 2021 }}, Rutherglen Heritage Society</ref> Apart from those larger commercial manufacturers of oatcakes, there are many local bakers providing variations on the basic recipe.

<gallery class="center" caption="" widths="200px" heights="160px">
File:Girdledalgarven.JPG|A [[griddle|girdle]] from [[Dalgarven Mill – Museum of Ayrshire Country Life and Costume|Dalgarven Mill]] in [[North Ayrshire]], used for baking oatcakes and other foods such as [[Bannock (British food)|bannocks]]
File:OatcakesTrangia.JPG|Oatcakes being cooked outdoors
File:Clapshot and oatcakes.jpg|Oatcakes (top) with [[clapshot]]
</gallery>

====Wales====
In [[Wales]], oatcakes tend to resemble savoury [[pancake]]s.<ref name="Martin-2014"/> They were sometimes crumbled up and used as one of the ingredients of [[Fish and brewis|brewis]], a staple breakfast.{{citation needed|date=October 2014}}

===Ireland===
[[File:Oat cakes, Ulster American Folk Park - geograph.org.uk - 1303839.jpg|thumb|upright|An oat cake being displayed by an employee of the [[Ulster American Folk Park]], near [[Omagh]], in [[County Tyrone]], [[Northern Ireland]], in a demonstration of their preparation]]
Oatcakes similar to the Scottish variety are produced in [[Ireland]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://antiquitynow.org/2014/03/12/bon-appetit-wednesday-celebrate-st-patricks-day-with-ancient-irish-oatcakes/|title=Bon Appetit Wednesday! Celebrate St. Patrick's Day With Ancient Irish Oatcakes|date=12 March 2014}}</ref> in shared tradition with the Scots.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://celt.ucc.ie//published/T108200/index.html|title=Captain Cuellar's Adventures in Connacht and Ulster|website=celt.ucc.ie|access-date=2019-10-24}}</ref> ''Ditty's'' is a [[Northern Irish]] brand of oatcake.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.dittysbakery.com/products/ | title=Products | publisher=Ditty's Home Bakery | access-date=1 May 2014 | archive-date=5 September 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140905050418/http://dittysbakery.com/products/ | url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.dittysbakery.com/about-us/ | title=About us | publisher=Ditty's Home Bakery | access-date=1 May 2014 | archive-date=5 September 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140905060751/http://dittysbakery.com/about-us/ | url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Canada===
Scottish immigrants to the [[New World]] brought the recipe for this sustaining food to [[Canada]]. One such journey was [[HMS Elizabeth (1769)|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".<ref>{{cite book|last=Roy|first=Suman and Brooke Ali|title=From Pemmican to Poutine: A Journey Through Canada's Culinary History|year=2010|publisher=The Key Publishing House, Inc.|location=Toronto|isbn=978-1-926780-00-9|page=16}}</ref>

Oatcakes in Canada gradually{{when|date=September 2014}} 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==
{{portal|Food}}
* [[Bannock (British food)|Bannock]]
* [[Biscuit]]
* [[Hardtack]]
* [[List of British breads]]
* [[Meal Monday]]
* [[Rolled oats]]
* [[Scone]]
* [[Staffordshire oatcake]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Sinclair, Molly. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=Cx4lGwAACAAJ Scottish Heritage Cookbook].'' Heritage Cookbooks. Mission San Jose, California: 1990.

==External links==
{{Commons category|Oatcake}}
{{Cookbook|Oatcake}}
{{Wiktionary|oatcake}}
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/oatcake Oatcakes recipes] from [[BBC Food]]

{{Oats}}
{{Pancakes}}
{{Scottish cuisine}}{{British bread}}

[[Category:British breads]]
[[Category:Crackers (food)]]
[[Category:Pancakes]]
[[Category:Irish breads]]
[[Category:Scottish breads]]
[[Category:Oat-based dishes]]