29 October: Oatmeal Day

October 29 is Oatmeal Day. So here are ten interesting facts about oats.

1. The common oat (Avena sativa), is a cereal plant which grows in temperate climates. It is unusual linguistically as the crop is generally referred to in the plural, oats, rather than in the singular, as in Wheat or rye.
2. Oats were eaten in China as long ago as 7,000 BC, and the ancient Greeks are thought to be the first people to eat Porridge.
3. Oats, and porridge, have long been a staple food in Scotland, which has just the right kind of temperate climate to grow it well. It was via Scottish immigrants that oatmeal reached America, where 75% of the population have it in their kitchen cupboards. Universities in Scotland used to have a holiday called Meal Monday so students to return to their farms to collect more oats for food. Samuel Johnson's dictionary definition for oats reads: "A grain, which in England is generally given to horses, but in Scotland supports the people."
4. The biggest producer of oats is Russia, which contributes about 23% of the world's supply. In America, most of the oats are produced in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
5. Oatmeal wasn't always popular in America, because it is much more commonly used as animal feed – about 95% of the oats grown are fed to animals, even today.
6. In 1856, Ohio oat factory owner Ferdinand Schumacher first marketed a product which up to that time was seen as food for animals. Henry Parsons Crowell, an oat producer in Ravenna, Ohio, was the one who registered the figure of a man in Quaker garb as a trademark symbol in 1866. These two, and several others, all merged to form the Quaker Oats company in 1901. The company continued to innovate and were the first to try several marketing strategies we know well today – the free sample and the free gift. They were also the first food company to print recipes on the boxes. The company quickly diversified into producing other products, such as drinks, and even acquired other, non-food companies. They owned the Fisher-Price toy company for a while, and at one time 25% of their profits came from selling toys. They also got into financing movies – Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory owes its existence to Quaker Oats' money. In return, Quaker had exclusive rights to produce sweets based on the film. However, they later sold this particular brand to Nestle.
7. The Quakers, or Religious Society of Friends, played no role in the production of the Quaker brand of oats. The man in Quaker garb on the box is not, as many people think, supposed to represent William Penn. It's just a random Quaker guy. Employees of the company affectionately call him Larry.
8. Oats are processed in a way that doesn’t strip off the nutritious bran or germ. There are any number of health websites out there listing the myriad ways oatmeal is good for you. It lowers cholesterol. A study in the British Journal of Nutrition showed that infants who were introduced to oats early on were less likely to develop asthma. It contains lots of high quality protein. It helps prevent heart disease, diabetes and cancer. It can even help, according to Ayurvedic medicine, cure opium addiction.
9. Oatmeal is even good for the skin and can be applied to soothe itchy or painful skin conditions. The husks are a common ingredient in exfoliating products.
10. The most popular oatmeal toppings are: Milk, sugar, fruit (Raisins, Bananas) and Butter or Margarine. More unusual toppings are Eggnog, Peanut butter, cottage cheese and brewer’s yeast.

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