The humble oat

But it was sneered on by the English gentry, and Samuel Johnson famously said, “Oats: a food usually reserved for horses in England, in Scotland supports the people.” His own biographer, James Boswell -- a Scot -- replied that in England they raised fine horses whereas in Scotland they raised fine people. You see that even in those days they realized that a bowl of oats was a meal in itself, a wonder food or superfood as per the recent buzzword.

There are also strange beliefs associated with this food. It was said that unless you stirred it clockwise with your right hand, you were in danger of invoking the devil. You had to eat the porridge while standing using a bone spoon. The porridge was often made at least the day before so it could set into a solid mass. This was then divided into pieces and taken to work -- the forerunner of today's cereal bars and oatcakes.

During the last 10 years or so, the food industry has caught on to the usefulness as well as the nutty flavor of this grain and has used it in many products: granola, clusters of oats toasted to which honey and often nuts and raisins are added, and cereal bars, which are like granola only in bar form. Watch these though because while they have the big plus of convenient portability, they are heavy in sugar which binds them together; this for me cancels out their benefits. As usual, nearly all packaged foods have the nutritional data printed on the packaging, and so a quick look at that should tell you all you need to know. Of course not all granola bars are created equal, and there are light versions which aren't sugar bombs, but in Turkey the choice is limited so really they should be regarded as no different from regular cookies or cakes.

An Alpine treat: Muesli has been around for quite a while now. It was invented in Switzerland by Dr. Maximilian Bircher-Benner for patients in his hospital. It was based on oats, to which fruit and nuts were added. Nowadays there are many different varieties of muesli and different types of dried fruits, cornflakes and even chocolate chips are added, but the purists prefer the original Swiss recipe. It is best eaten after having been soaked overnight in milk or fruit juice. I prefer mine soaked in a small amount of apple juice. It is also delicious with fresh fruit -- maybe an orange chopped into small cubes or a grated apple -- sprinkled over the top.

The main difference between porridge and muesli is the way they are eaten, not so much the ingredients, which are basically the same. With porridge the oats are cooked and usually eaten warm but with muesli they are eaten cold after being soaked in juice or milk.

Oatmeal and muesli aren't part of the Turkish diet, but they are becoming accepted and can be found in most of the bigger supermarkets.

You can also buy quick or instant oats which are so called because they are quicker to cook and are simply regular oatmeal that has been pulverized. Regular oats don't take that long to cook so I prefer them to instant oatmeal as they have more texture.

Soluble fiber: You might think that is another buzz word seeing as you've probably heard it so often, but in fact, it's a food technology term. It is a fact that oats contain more soluble fiber than any other grain.

What is soluble fiber? Well, fiber is usually defined as the part of the plant we can eat but not easily digest. Fiber is an essential part of our diet because it keeps us regular. Soluble fiber dissolves in water and once consumed, turns into a thick viscous gel which moves slowly to its destination in our digestive tracts. That means the stomach stays fuller for a longer time and so our appetite is satisfied for longer. It also slows down the absorption of glucose by the body which helps avoid those nasty sugar highs and lows. Oatmeal is full of this stuff.

Cooking with oats: Oats can be added to almost any baked goods and some even use it for savory recipes such as sauces or for thickening soups.

I use oatmeal to make pancakes with instead of flour as I prefer to avoid the starch in flour and prefer the taste anyway. It's difficult to make those wafer thin blini that are a Russian specialty, but my pancakes are hearty and thick! I make them with five egg whites and one or two yolks, then beat the mixture up until frothy and add 30 grams of oats, which I leave to stand for a few minutes. I then throw the mixture into a big frying pan, to which a small amount of cooking fat or oil has been added. Be careful if you aren't using much fat, as I do, because the food will catch quickly, and you don't want to end up with a black pancake! I confess to not having got the technique of low-fat frying perfected yet, but would be grateful if anyone could send me tips -- by e-mail -- on how to do this.

Flapjacks: These are basically homemade granola bars under another name but I'm sure you -- like me -- wouldn't be able to resist these crunchy delights, and if you made a whole batch of them at least let them cool down so that the baking smell no longer remains to drive you wild!

I searched the Web for a low fat recipe, and although you won't find a no-fat recipe -- but e-mail me if you know one -- this recipe is lower than most and it contains my beloved banana so here goes:

Enjoy!

*Stephanie Rayburn is a body fitness and figure competitor based in İstanbul. benhalterci@gmail.com

Ingredients

110 grams oats

110 grams caster sugar

1 dessertspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

100 grams banana (mashed)

4 tablespoons skim milk

2 egg whites

Method

1. Preheat oven to gas mark 4 or 180 degrees Celsius.

2. In a bowl mix together the dry ingredients and in a separate bowl mix the banana, milk and egg whites. Now combine and beat together.

3. Press down the mixture quite hard into a large (23 centimeter x 33 centimeter) baking tray which has been lined with baking paper or greased paper bags.

4. Bake for approximately 35 minutes and leave to cool -- if you can.