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Sowens

Sowens is one of the national dishes of Scotland, made from the husk of the oat (called in Scotland seeds). These seeds contain a good deal of farinaceous matter after they are separated from the oatmeal, and this matter is converted into a very nourishing and palatable article of food. In some of the northern towns of Scotland thin sowens are drunk on New Year's Day morning, while "buttered sowens wi' fragrant lunt" is in rural districts the supper for Hallow Eve. This dish is known in England, Wales, and Ireland as "flummery." It is very good eaten cold, and will turn out in a shape, making a kind of oatmeal jelly. To prepare it, soak any quantity of oatmeal seeds in a tub or large jar, and pour upon them twice their bulk in lukewarm water. Leave for three or four days in a warm place till sour. Pass the whole through a sieve, and squeeze the seeds, moistening them with a little of the liquor, to get all the goodness out of them. Let the liquor thus obtained stand till the starchy matter it contains sinks to the bottom; then pour it off, and add fresh cold water. When the sowens are wanted, pour off the water, and mix with the starchy sediment as much water as will thin it; put a little salt into it, and boil it, stirring briskly all the time till it thickens. Pour it into a deep bowl, and serve with wine, beer, or milk. Sowens thus made will keep good for a week or more in winter. If a little that has turned sour be mixed with that which is to be freshly made, it will facilitate the preparation. Time, fifteen to twenty minutes to thicken the sowens.