On a particularly inspiring day, triggered by an amusing yet enlightening email received from Iain, our dear Scottish friend and contributor to the Letters of Scotland, I found myself diving into the niche world of topical stamp collecting, specifically under the theme of Food and Beverage.
Iain’s heartfelt correction of a porridge recipe mistake led me down this path, showcasing not just the cultural significance of porridge but also its commemorative journey onto a postage stamp.
Good Morning everyone !I made a silly mistake regarding the recipe for porridge –The ratio of milk (or milk / water mixture) to rolled oats is basically 2 : 1,not equal parts by volume, as I may have written.
(I use a little plastic scoop – capacity uncertain – supplied by one of themakers of ‘Porridge Oats’. To 2,5 scoops of oats, I add 5 little scoopsof milk, plus one extra, ‘just for luck’ !)Do you have ‘egg cups’ to hand – to hold boiled eggs ? 🙂 I wouldguess that 1,5 of these small cups, with 3 cups of milk, would make agenerous serving of porridge for one person .. such as you would notfind in Heaven** itself ! (A wee PYREX bowl is ideal for microwave.).‘As you know, a Scotsman once arrived in Heaven, but was told :‘I’m sorry Sir, we don’t do porridge for one !’ 🙂 Iain.
Iain’s correction on the porridge recipe – emphasizing the correct ratio of milk (or a milk/water mixture) to rolled oats as 2:1, rather than equal parts – might seem trivial to some. Yet, it underscores the personal connection and individual nuances that make food such an integral part of our identity.
His mention of using a little plastic scoop for measurement and the quirky reference to egg cups and PYREX bowls for serving sizes adds a charming touch to the narrative, highlighting the quirky and personal aspects of cooking that often go unnoticed.
Porridge has been an integral part of Scottish heritage and culture for centuries, its story deeply woven into the fabric of daily life and tradition.
The simplicity of porridge—made from oats, water, and a pinch of salt—belies its significance. Traditionally, it was cooked slowly in a large pot known as a “porridge pot” over an open fire, stirred with a wooden stick called a “spurtle” to prevent lumps from forming.
This method of preparation was not just about cooking; it was a ritual that symbolized the start of a new day, bringing warmth and nourishment to households across Scotland.
Its nutritional value and the energy it provided made it the perfect food for the hardworking Scots, from farmers tilling the fields to warriors in battle.
It was so revered that a traditional Scottish saying, “A good bowl of porridge will stick to your ribs,” emerged to describe its sustaining power.
The cultural significance of porridge in Scotland is also evident in the customs and superstitions surrounding its preparation and consumption. For instance, it was traditionally stirred clockwise with the right hand, a practice believed to ward off evil spirits.
Additionally, the annual World Porridge Making Championship, held in the Scottish Highlands, celebrates the dish’s importance and showcases the art of porridge making, attracting competitors from around the globe.
In the modern era, porridge has transcended its humble origins to become a global health food, celebrated for its nutritional benefits. However, in Scotland, it remains a beloved tradition, a daily ritual that connects the Scots to their ancestors, the land, and each other.
The Philatelic Pantry: A Porridge Story
Porridge, a staple in many cultures, often goes unnoticed in the grand tapestry of global cuisine. However, it found its place in the philatelic world, thanks to the Ireland Post Office.
In 2015, as part of a broader issue titled “The Island of Food,” a stamp was released, celebrating this humble dish. It depicted a beautifully simple bowl of porridge, adorned with rasberries and blueberries, elevating the everyday porridge into a symbol of Irish food culture.
The series also included other elements of Irish food culture, such as local food (depicted on a se-tenant stamp with a face value of 2*70), a cattle breeder & steak, a dairy man & cheese, a fisherman & fish, and, notably, another version of the farmer & porridge stamp.
Each stamp in the series offered a window into the diverse and rich food heritage of Ireland, making “The Food Island” issue a colorful and meaningful collection for philatelists and food enthusiasts alike.
Food and beverage manufacturing is crucial for Ireland, underpinning the economy with a gross annual turnover around €25 billion. It provides over 45,000 full-time jobs directly, with approximately 230,000 people or about one in eight jobs in the economy, tied to agri-food when including agricultural and related employment.
Designed by Zinc Design Consultants, the stamps showcase Ireland’s food production excellence. The series includes two 70 cent stamps featuring a beef farmer and a cheesemaker alongside their products, and €1.05 stamps portraying a fisherman and a tillage farmer with their quality produce, all part of the 2015 Ireland – Food Island Miniature Sheet.
THEMATIC STAMP COLLECTING
For all Food and Beverage topical stamp collectors, the porridge stamp and its companions in the “Ireland – The Food Island” issue are a celebration of culture, cuisine, and the stories that connect us through the seemingly simple acts of eating and cooking.
As I reflect on Iain’s email, the journey from a corrected porridge recipe to a stamp commemorating this staple dish encapsulates the essence of what makes collecting such an enriching hobby: the ability to capture and cherish the small, yet significant moments of life and culture.
WANNA TASTE?
For a delectable journey, begin your exploration of Irish Porridge by following this link -> McCann’s Irish Oatmeal – Traditional Steel Cut Oats
Let the taste of Ireland enrich your collection and your breakfast table.
Carole ShoresReviewed in the United States on December 8, 2023
Flavor Name: Irish Oatmeal Size: 1.75 Pound (Pack of 1) Verified Purchase
Sláinte and Happy Topical Stamp Collecting!
Janice aka Stampy
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May I add just a word or two, Janice, on oats, oatmeal and oat flakes? I forget the details, but – centuries ago – a young Scottish student set off for Oxford, carrying on his pony a huge sack of oatmeal that would sustain him for the better part of a year!
Simple milled oats of this sort had been the basis of the Scots peasant diet for as long as anyone could remember, whether eaten as porridge, as oatcakes (made on an open hotplate or Girdle), as Haggis (when combined with tasty scraps of mutton) – or even as ‘Cranachan’, an enjoyable dessert that included raspberries, cream, honey and a wee spot of whisky!
Finely milled oats or ‘Pinhead Oatmeal’ was traditionally used for porridge, often soaked overnight to reduce the cooking time that would be needed, but a good ten or 15 minutes was still required – as was a fair amount of salt to improve the flavour. (The old Scots had a word for this – ‘wersh’, from the archaic English ‘wearish’, they applied to any food that was tasteless.)
I believe that A & R Scott introduced their famous Porage Oats in 1914, a real ‘time saver’ in the kitchen. Oat flakes of this type – porridge oats – probably now dominate the market, and I would guess that they have all of the advantages of traditional oats, such as being gluten-free and high in soluble fibre.
You mention stirring the porridge clockwise (and with the right hand), Janice, but I wonder, does this apply only in the Northern Hemisphere? 🙂 It seems unfortunate for anyone of the Kerr clan, 30% of whom are said to be left-handed!
Would you be surprised to hear of a plate of porridge being referred to ‘in the plural’ – as ‘they’? It’s the Oats, you see, now at last recognised as a wonder food! 🙂
Iain.
Reading one evening at my desk that porridge should be eaten ‘while standing’, I almost fell off my chair in astonishment! If (as suggested) this is a Scottish tradition, then it’s certainly one that I’d never heard of.
On the other hand, I quite believe the story of the poor farm labourers (in the days before the First World War) who were housed in shared ‘bothies’ and cooked most of their own meals. To save time each morning, they would prepare in advance a large quantity of porridge, maybe enough to last for a week or more.
After the oats had been soaked overnight and gently cooked for 20-30 minutes (probably in a minimum of liquid), the porridge would be cooled and poured into a large container of some sort, even a wooden box or drawer! For breakfast each day, a slice of this porridge mixture would be cut off, then ‘brought back to life’ by the addition of more water (or milk) and some salt.
‘Brose’, I would guess, is a mystery to most Scottish people now – I have no memory of it. Apparently, oat brose was made by simply adding boiling water to finely milled oatmeal, without further cooking.
Pease brose I do remember, made almost instantly by combining boiling water with ‘peasemeal’ in a small bowl, to which salt and a little butter may be added. (Peasemeal is the flour derived from roasted and ground peas.) It’s a pity, I think, that the fashion for pease brose has passed, for, although ‘robustly’ flavoured, this is an extremely nourishing food, rich in zinc, potassium and iron. (According to our friends at Wikipedia, it contains altogether no fewer than seven vitamins and five minerals!)
Iain.