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Flour Power - A Scottish Perspective

by Aileen Hunter & Kate Mulvely
Project Co-ordinator - Val Bissland, Senior Studies Institute, University of Strathclyde.

We are delighted to make a contribution to the European Bread Project.

Like every land, Scotland's geography and climate have influenced the diet of her people. Situated on the Northwest periphery of Europe, nearly half the mainland is mountainous. The climate is wet and temperate, unfavourable to wheat growing, and from the earliest times the native cereal crops were barley or oats with wheat appearing comparatively recently.

The land was settled sometime in the neolithic era by people who came West across the North Sea from Europe. The earliest archaeological remains at Skara Brae in the northern Orkney Islands show that they cultivated a very robust form of barley which is still grown in these parts. Oats had made their appearance by Roman times and grains have been found from about a hundred years or so BC. Growth is slow in the cool climate and this gives a better flavour. Oats can be ground to a range of textures and so have great versatility, making it possible to produce a variety of sustaining food.

By the end of the 18th Century oats were the main grain used by all levels of the population. Students would arrive at University after the summer with a bag of oatmeal to live on during the term. The older Scottish Universities still call the autumn mid-term break "Meal Monday" when traditionally the students would return home to replenish their supplies.

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