For years I thought I had figured out the difference between British porridge and (American) oatmeal. You can get Quaker Oats in the UK, even the Instant packs, but the directions are NOT the same, British instructions call for milk and microwaving . I followed the US directions and added boiling water anyway. From this, I assumed that the difference between porridge and oatmeal was the liquid used in cooking, they used milk for porridge and water for oatmeal.

I believed this for many years, after researching, I learned that this assumption was wrong. Most cooking sites say that oatmeal is a sub-type of porridge, made with rolled oats. The British sometimes refer to porridge as “porridge oats”. 

Porridge — traditionally oats simmered in milk or water — has been a breakfast favourite in UK homes for centuries. [snip]

 

It was during the Medieval period in Scotland, where a lack of sun and high humidity allowed only the hardiest of grains to grow, that oats became an increasingly major part of people’s diets. Far more reliable than wheat or maize harvests in harsh weather, oatmeal — oats that have been dehusked, steamed and flattened — quickly became the staple food for the lower classes. Local variations such as gruel (a thinner version of porridge), sowans (a thick drink made from fermented oats) and hasty pudding (a thicker, sweeter porridge that doubled up as dessert) featured prominently in Scotland’s diet for the next 1,000 years. ¹

 It seems that makes cream of wheat also a type of porridge, though I did not see it that on shelves.

Do you make your instant oatmeal according to the British directions or the US directions? Let me know in the comments!

References

1. Journey through the history of porridge, from Scotland’s rugged landscapes to the alpine world of Switzerland. (2021). Retrieved 20 July 2023, from https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel/2021/09/the-journey-of-the-oat-grain-from-the-rugged-landscapes-of-scotland-to-the-alpine-world-of-switzerland 

“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.”

 – James Beard