Briefing of Oat Uses

Oats are used in food in a variety of ways; most commonly, they are rolled or pressed into oatmeal, or ground into fine oat flour.Oatmeal is mostly eaten as porridge, but it can also be used in a variety of baked goods, such as oat cakes, oat cookies, and oat bread.Oats are also an ingredient in many cold cereals, especially muesli and granola.Oats are also used in the production of milk substitutes ("oat milk").Attitudes to oats have varied throughout history.Oatmeal bread was first produced in the UK, and the first oatmeal bread factory was established in the UK in 1899. In Scotland, oat bread was, and still is, a mainstay of the national diet.In Scotland, a dish is made by soaking oat husks for a week, so the fine flour part of the dish becomes a sediment, which is strained, boiled and eaten.Oats are also widely used there as a thickener for soups, as other countries may use barley or rice.Oats are also often used as feed for horses when additional carbohydrates and a subsequent energy boost are desired.The oat husks may be crushed ("rolled" or "curled") to make the grain easier for the horse to digest,or may be fed whole.They can be provided individually or as part of mixed food pellets.Cattle are also fed oats, which can be whole grains or ground into semolina using a mill, grinder, or hammer mill. Oat feed is commonly used to feed various ruminants as pasture, straw, hay or silage.

Winter oats can be grown as an off-season ground cover and tilled as a green manure in spring, or harvested in early summer.They can also be used as pasture; they can be grazed for a while and then allowed out to produce grain, or grazed continuously until other pastures are ready.Oat straw is favored by cattle and horse producers for its softness, relative dust-freeness, and water absorption. Straw can also be used to make corn carts. Bundled in a cotton bag, the oat straw is used to soften bath water.Oats are also occasionally used in several different beverages.In the UK they are sometimes used to brew beer.Oatmeal stout is a variety brewed using a certain percentage of oats as wort.Rarely used oat malt was produced by Thomas Fawcett & Sons Maltings and was used in Maclays Oat Malt Stout before Maclays Brewery ceased its independent brewing business. A cold, sweet drink made of ground oats and milk called avena is a popular refreshment throughout Latin America.Oatmeal, made from malt liquor and oatmeal with spices, is a traditional British drink and a favorite of Oliver Cromwell.Oat extract is also used to soothe skin conditions and is popular for its emollient properties in cosmetics.Oat grass has traditionally been used for medicinal purposes, including helping to balance the menstrual cycle, treating dysmenorrhea, and treating osteoporosis and urinary tract infections.