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Tracing the origins of the humble oat in Scotland is not easy. It seems to have been a staple food at least since the time of the Picts or Vikings, if not earlier. But one thing is for certain: Scotland and oats go together.

Robert Burns and the “Land o’Cakes”

In the late 1700s, Roberts Burns opened his poem On the Late Captain Grose's Peregrinations Thro' Scotland with "Hear, Land o'Cakes and brither Scots.” “Land o’Cakes” referred to oat cakes. Fourteenth-century French chronicler Jean Froissart described them: “Under the flap of his saddle, each [Scots soldier] carries a broad plate of metal; behind the saddle, a little bag of oatmeal…they place their plate over the fire, mix with water their oatmeal, and when the plate is heated they put a little of the paste upon it, and make a thin cake, like a crackenel or biscuit.”

Grains As Part of WWII Military Strategy

However oats came to be so much a part of Scotland’s food history, during World War II the value of this superfood became evident. Before the War, Britain imported 70% of its food, to the tune of 20 million tons a year, including grains such as wheat and rice.

After war was declared in September 1939, one of Germany’s main strategies for conquering England was to cut off these food supplies. Grains were heavily affected, especially wheat. Bread, considered a basic “filler” food, was not rationed during the War but white bread became illegal. The government released specific bread recipes, using less sugar and requiring three quarters of the flour to be 85% extraction of the whole meal. This was known as the National Loaf. It was grey and mushy, tolerated but not really accepted by most. It was jokingly called “Hitler’s Secret Weapon.”

The Versatile Oat

The one domestic grain that could be relied upon was oats. When homemakers had to find substitutes for wheat flour or ways to minimize its use, oats came to the rescue. Oats, along with potatoes and the National Loaf, were the main “filler” foods that kept British stomachs from caving to invasion.

Immediately following the War, serious crop issues and food shortages throughout Europe caused bread to go on the ration for the first time, and the rationing of oats came up in Parliament. Oats were the center of a heated debate. One member argued, “I never thought that I would ever see the day in this House when the consumption of oats would be restricted in any shape or form. It is a serious blow, particularly to Scotland, for no less than 80 per cent. of the total oatmeal output of this country is produced in Scotland.” He went to on say that unrationed bread and oats were, “the main reason why the housewife was able to accept rationing, in a severe form, for other foods.”

Oats became part of innumerable dishes, both sweet and savory. They stretched the meat ration, added bulk to vegetable dishes, provided a hearty breakfast, and turned up in desserts from cookies to crumbles.

Two WWII Oat Recipes

I recently tried two 1940s-style oat recipes—Oatcakes and Sweet Oatmeal Biscuits. The oatcakes recipe sounded reminiscent of the one described by Froissart but it did include a pinch of baking soda and salt, and a bit of fat. It was terrible! The recipe yielded crumbly hockey pucks. I crushed and recycled them into an impromptu Oatmeal Brown Betty. In the spirit of wartime resourcefulness, they weren’t wasted but my heart aches for people who had to eat them years ago.

The Sweet Oatmeal Biscuits were much better, although less sweet and flavorful than modern recipes. They tasted a bit like breakfast porridge in biscuit (aka cookie) form. Their texture, however, was perfectly soft with a good “bite.” Adding a small amount of extra sweetener, some spice and raisins are just what these biscuits need. I am including the original recipe here, along with my adaptations, in case you would like to try them either authentic wartime or modern style. What would you add to the most basic oatmeal cookie?

References

The Daily Telegraph. Good Fare: A Book of Wartime Recipes. London: Macmillan. 2008.

BBC. “On the Late Captain Groce’s Peregrinations Thro’ Scotland.” BBC: Works (716).

Bonnie Scotland. “The French chronicler, Jean Froissart, c. 1365.”

Cook’s Info. “British Wartime Food.” July 11, 2022.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones.”

Proverbs 3:5-8