Interesting facts

The scientific name Avena probably derives from the Sanskrit word avasa = foodstuff. The epithet sativa is Latin and means cultivated – referring to the fact that Common Oat is a purely cultivated crop. It is the result of crossing the wild species Wild Oat (Avena fatua), Winter Wild Oat (Avena sterilis) and Slender Oat (Avena barbata).
Oat remains from Bronze-Age lake-dwellings in Switzerland (from the end of the 3rd to the beginning of the 1st millennium BC) confirm that this nourishing cereal was already in use then. According to Pliny (23-79), the Germanic tribes were also fond of oats. Up until the Middle Ages they were regarded as a poor person’s food. The Greeks and Romans used them primarily as animal feed or for medicinal purposes. In the Middle Ages oats were also used in the brewing of beer.
Several customs arose around oats. For example, English peasants laid out bundles of oats over Christmas to protect their animals against disease in the coming year. If dew fell on the oats the protection was thought to be especially effective. In some places lads threw oat grains over young girls on St Stephen’s Day (26 December). This custom, known in German as Steffeln, was a fertility rite. The more grains of oat got caught in the girl's clothes, the more children she would later bear. Bridal couples were showered with oats for the same reason. In addition, a bowl of water was placed on the bridal table for guests to throw oat grains into. If they sank this was regarded as a bad omen for the marriage.
Oats are among the most nutritious cereals in Central Europe: in addition to their high protein content (12 percent) they contain many vitamins, especially B-complex vitamins, and minerals. Oatmeal cannot be used for baking, because it contains too little gluten. Rolled oats, porridge and oat milk do enjoy widespread popularity, but by far the greatest amount of the oats produced is fed to horses, cattle and chickens.