oatcake

An oatcake is a type of flatbread similar to a cracker or biscuit, or in some versions takes the form of a pancake. They are prepared with oatmeal as the primary ingredient, and sometimes include plain or wholemeal flour as well. Oatcakes are cooked on a griddle (girdle in Scots) or baked in an oven.

== History == thumb|A painting of a woman making oat cakes, painted by George Walker (1781–1856). Image taken from The costume of Yorkshire Oatcakes have been documented as existing in Caledonia (subsequently Scotland after the 9th century) since at least the time of the Roman conquest of Britain in AD 43, and likely before then. Oatcakes have also been described as being the "mainstay of Scottish breads for centuries". Jean Le Bel, around AD 1357–1360 describes the Beguine nuns making "little pancakes rather like communion wafers". This is thought to be an early description of a Scottish oatcake.