Discover the humble grain that went from lowly foodstuff to hero ingredient

The story of oats begins in Egypt, more than 4,000 years ago. Like many classic and enduring tales, be they about people, communities or cultures, it’s one of an underdog fighting for recognition. Some never receive the attention they deserve, others get to have their day in the limelight but, either way, the narrative is usually full of twists and turns. Such is the way with the commonplace grain that today nourishes people the world over and has become a breakfast staple.

Some of the earliest oats discovered are thought to date back four millennia to the 12th Egyptian dynasty. Unlike the oats many people consume today, however, these were considered weeds and uncultivated, the Egyptians preferring grains such as wheat and barley and making their porridge from emmer – the grain of which is known as farro. The oat many people eat today – Avena sativa – is derived from crops originated in Asia Minor. Around 2,000BCE, northern Europeans intentionally cultivated oats on hilltops, where the climate was too wet to farm wheat. Of course, different species suit different climates. Avena sativa is the most common, while the Algerian or red oat, Avena byzantina, is more suited to warmer climates (see ‘Know your oats’, overleaf).