Foodie Friday Ingredient Hour: Scotch Mix

This is the start of something new. Every Friday, I'm going to post about one of my favorite ingredients or pantry staples, something I've just discovered and fallen in love with, or maybe even something that is on my culinary bucket list! Friends, Welcome to Foodie Friday Ingredient Hour!

This week, I will be waxing poetic on Scotch Mix, or as you will often see it labelled on bulk bins, 4 Grain Cereal. Scotch mix is, in essence, oatmeal. Except it has more than just oats.

The Scotch Mix I always keep on hand involves equal parts of wheat, rye, barley and oats. Now, that's all fine and dandy, but let's explore each of these great grains a little and get to the nuts and bolts of why I never eat "just oatmeal"

At first glance, your average grain field looks just like the one before it, and just like the next. Grain is grain. You've seen one, you've seen 'em all. Well, not exactly. Yes, most grains come from one type of grass or another, and yes, they do look similar in raw form. But we will soon discover that when you get to the nitty gritty, not all grains are created equal. Roll up your sleeves, let's get started!

Wheat

Wheat is the third most produced grain in the world, falling behind only corn and rice. It was one of the first commercially cultivated grains, being easy to grow on a large scale, and convenient to store.

Once the kernels are separated from the straw, 

the straw can be used for animal forage and roof thatch, among other uses.

The kernels can be used whole, ground into a flour as-is (whole wheat), or milled to remove the bran before grinding, giving us the ubiquitous white, all-purpose flour we know so well.

Wheat is used for a plethora of food and beverage, from cereals and bread to fermented beverages

When used in whole grain form, wheat boasts a compliment of vitamins and minerals, plus protein and starch. Once processed, mostly starch is left.

1 cup of whole wheat contains:

Total Fat 4.7 g
Saturated fat 0.9 g
Polyunsaturated fat 1.9 g
Monounsaturated fat 0.7 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 4 mg
Potassium 828 mg
Total Carbohydrate 137 g
Protein 26 g

Rye

Rye is grown as a food source for humans, but also extensively as animal forage, and used as a winter ground cover crop. It has been cultivated since the middle ages in Eastern and Central Europe, and is still a main bread cereal there to this day.

One problem with rye is its tendency to suffer from ergot fungus. Eating ergot-infected rye can lead to serious illness for us humans, known as Ergotism. Symptoms include seizures, hallucinations and tissue breakdown (necrosis). Ergotism is suspected to be the cause for many being persecuted as witches during the Salem witch trials in Massachusetts. 

Rye is higher in protein and has better ability to grow in poor soil than many grains, making it a valuable food source where soil is sandy or nutrient-starved. Rye does not contain gluten as wheat does, making it a good choice for those who are gluten-intolerant. Not containing gluten does, however, make for a denser bread if only rye flour is used.




1 cup of rye contains:

Total Fat 2.8 g
Saturated fat 0.3 g
Polyunsaturated fat 1.3 g
Monounsaturated fat 0.4 g
Trans fat 0 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 3 mg
Potassium 862 mg
Total Carbohydrate 128 g
Dietary fiber 26 g
Sugar 1.7 g
Protein 17 g

Barley

Barley was one of the first cultivated grains, and is now grown widely as both human and animal food. Barley currently ranks fourth in worldwide cereal grain production. It is used in a compliment of dishes, including soups, breads and simply cooked whole and used. We also know and love barley in fermented form as a main ingredient of beer!

Barley has many cultivars, including a "naked barley", with a thinner, easier to remove hull. Naked barley is easier to digest by animals, making it popular as a forage crop. It was also used at one time as a form of currency.

Barley contains eight essential amino acids, and has been shown in studies to regulate blood sugar for up to 10 hours after eating it in whole grain form (no, beer doesn't count. sorry!). It also retains much of its germ after hulling, making it nutritious even after processing.

1 cup of barley contains:

Total Fat 4.2 g
Saturated fat 0.9 g
Polyunsaturated fat 2 g
Monounsaturated fat 0.5 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 22 mg
Potassium 832 mg
Total Carbohydrate 135 g
Dietary fiber 32 g
Sugar 1.5 g
Protein 23 g

Oats

While it most likely originated in the Near East, the were not cultivated for quite some time, and when they were, it was in Europe, during the Bronze Age.
Oats enjoy temperate climates, and are much more tolerant of moist conditions than most cereal grains, making them valuable where even the summers are cool and wet.

Oats are primarily rolled and eaten as oatmeal, granola or porridge. They are also ground into a flour and used for assorted baked goods. Our friends across the pond also use oats in brewing oatmeal stout (it's deliciously hearty, try it if you get a chance!)

Oat extract boasts soothing properties, so is also used in soaps and skin care concoctions. In fact, the skin care line Aveeno takes its name from the Latin name for oats, Aveena sativa.

Oats contain the most soluble fiber of any grain, and have been shown to help lower cholesterol, making them a heart healthy choice. Oats have the highest lipid content of the common cereal grains, mostly healthy unsaturated fat. They also contain high quality protein, nearly that of soy, milk, eggs and meat.

1 cup of oats contains:

Total Fat 11 g
Saturated fat 1.9 g
Polyunsaturated fat 4 g
Monounsaturated fat 3.4 g
Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 3 mg
Potassium 669 mg
Total Carbohydrate 103 g
Dietary fiber 16 g
Protein 26 g

Still with me? I know, probably more than you ever wanted to know about your morning oatmeal. I tried to make it interesting, hey, even a little history thrown in! All this to say, I love scotch mix. I really do. Every grain brings a little something special to the table nutritionally, not to mention different textures just making life a bit more interesting! No, not all grains are created equal, but they sure are tasty and nutritious in their own special ways, and when we bring them together, it's just the best of everything. So friends, next time you go to buy oatmeal, humor me and give Scotch Mix a try. You just might fall in love with it!