Scottish Oatcakes

The oatcake is the oldest and most fundamental food of Scotland, a simple disc of oatmeal and water that predates wheat bread by centuries in the Highlands, where oats were the only cereal that would ripen in the short, wet growing season. Oats were the staff of life in Scotland well into the 19th century, eaten as porridge, brose and oatcakes, and Dr Johnson's famous dictionary definition of oats as 'a grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people' captures the cultural divide. The oatcake is the dry, baked form, oatmeal mixed with hot water and a little dripping, butter or lard to bind it, rolled thin, cut into rounds, and baked on a griddle, the girdle, or in a slow oven until dry and crisp. Long a traveller's and shepherd's food, the oatcake keeps for weeks. It remains the indispensable accompaniment to Scottish cheese, to smoked salmon, and to the highland tea table, and is the base of many a canape.

A thin, dry, pale disc with a pronounced toasted-oat flavour and a clean snap, faintly sweet from the grain itself. Eaten with sharp cheese, smoked salmon, or simply buttered; the texture is crisp and slightly gritty.

Oatcakes rely on oatmeal, which has no gluten, so the dough cannot be kneaded or stretched like wheat, it is simply mixed. Medium or pinhead oatmeal is combined with a little melted butter, dripping or lard, a pinch of salt and enough boiling water to form a soft, warm dough that holds together when pressed. The hot water gelatinises the surface starch of the oatmeal, which is what binds the dough without gluten. The dough is rolled out thin, between 3 and 5mm, cut into rounds, and baked either on a dry griddle or, more commonly now, in a slow oven around 160 degrees C for 20 to 30 minutes, the long, dry bake driving off moisture so the oatcakes keep crisp for weeks. The choice of oatmeal matters, pinhead gives a gritty, robust texture, medium a smoother one, and a blend is common. Turning once during baking ensures even drying.