sowans sowens traditional scottish oat porridge fermented oat milk

Traditional sowan/sowen, pronounced soo-an, is made from groats or scottish oats soaked in water and allowed to ferment at room temperature until the mixture turns sour. Due to modern technology that converts whole grains into flake, sowans can now be made from most flaked grains including oats, barley, rye, and spelt. The fermented yellowish oat milk liquid is called swats while the sediment is called Sowans.
Fermenting oats before cooking can make them creamier, richer in flavor, and more nutritious.
Fermented oats are softer, easier to digest, and contain less fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols, (FODMAP) than regular cooked oats. FODMAP is responsible for cramping, bloating, gas, flatulence, constipation &/or diarrhea.
The texture is similar to traditional oatmeal on the stovetop, except for the hassle of making oatmeal in the morning (which means more time to sleep, hooray!). Whether you love eating oatmeal, sweet or savory, you'll love the creamy flavor of this fermented version. Soaked and fermented oatmeal is the traditional way to make oatmeal. When using whole grains, pre-soaking and fermenting before cooking is the traditional way to prepare them.
Fermenting grains by soaking before cooking neutralizes a compound called phytic acid and makes the grain more nutritious. Sally Fallon, author of Nourishing Traditions, a fermentation cookbook, insists on soaking beans to make them digestible. Our ancestors soaked or fermented grain before turning it into porridge, bread, cakes and casseroles.
Sowans can be served hot or cold and eat plain or topped with butter (called dushrea), yogurt, soured cream or milk. It is important to remember that whenever fermented foods are baked, boiled or cooked, many of the beneficial probiotic bacteria are destroyed, which is why sowans is best eaten at room temperature.
The ancient Scottish sowans resembles the old Russian service called avena kisel (marked ''ki-SAYEL'') - made from whole oats, which, in addition to the production of poly-acid gel, was considered to be well absorbed and especially nutritious for children, the elderly, and recovering.
To make this recipe you'll need 1/2 cup flaked oats and 1/4 cup oat bran. Place ingredients into a quart jar, fill with boiled spring or well water, cover with lid and leave on the counter to ferment 3-14 days. Separate the fermented oat milk from the fermented swats. Sweeten the swats with your favorite sweetener, add a tsp of cinnamon, and a pinch of nutmeg, cloves and cardamom. Top with milk, yogurt, soured cream or butter and eat cold or slightly warmed to room temperature. Refrigerate the fermented oat milk and consume as a health tonic or use as a starter for fermented vegetables, hummus, baba ganoush or any other dip you wish to ferment.
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