groat

Groat is a historical term with two main senses. In numismatics, a groat was a silver coin valued at four pence in England and Scotland, issued from the late Middle Ages into the early modern era. The denomination varied by reign and region, but the groat generally represented a higher value than a penny. With later coinage reforms, the groat was gradually withdrawn from circulation and is now obsolete.

In food usage, groats are hulled kernels of cereal grains, especially oats, barley, or wheat. After the hull is removed, the remaining grains are known as groats. They are larger and coarser than flour and require longer cooking. Oat groats are commonly used in porridge, soups, and pilaf; barley groats and other varieties are used similarly. Groats can also be milled into flour or rolled into flakes (rolled oats are a processed form of groats).

Etymology and scope: The word groat likely derives from a term meaning large, used to denote its status as a larger unit than a penny. In addition to its coinage sense, groats as food items remain common in culinary contexts, particularly in traditional Northern and Eastern European cooking.