Oatmeal, also called family or herculean, has become one of the traditional breakfasts. But why is she called the Herculean one, how is she connected with the name of the ancient Greek hero who completed his 12 exploits? This question is asked by many curious people.

The ancient Greeks, apparently, did not eat porridge from crushed oats, their breakfast looked different. It consisted mainly of plant products, bread, cheese. But the name of porridge is still not accidental.

Oats in the historical diet of Russians

Hercules porridge is created from crushed oat grains. And oats in Russia were grown traditionally. First of all, it was considered as feed for horses. In the summer alone, hay or grass will not give an animal experiencing severe stress enough strength to transport riders and move loads. Meanwhile, horses were kept in peasant farms, sometimes not one at a time, they were considered precisely as riding, pack animals. In order to keep the horse in good shape, she was provided with oats. From ancient times people noted that this grain gives the animal strength.

Cooked oats for people, initially - in whole grain form. The first, traditional oatmeal was not in the form of flakes. In order to cook it, the grain was not crushed, but was poured into the pot in its entirety, after which it was poured with water and sent to the oven.As with horses, it was believed that oats give strength. Only people cooked peeled oats, while for horses it was not peeled.

Interesting fact: the use of oats for horses was noted in classical literature - for example, in Gogol's “Dead Souls” you can read the complaints of coachman Chichikov that Nozdrev refused his horses oats.

Where did the oatmeal porridge come from?

The oatmeal “Hercules”, familiar to modern man, appeared at the dawn of the Soviet regime in the 1920s. It was a semi-finished product from crushed oats in packages that depicted a chubby baby. The product was widely advertised, it was emphasized that the person who eats this porridge gains powerful power, like the ancient Greek Hercules, whom the Romans called Hercules. This product instantly gained immense popularity, as it turned out to be inexpensive and tasty, easy to prepare. The trade name was well remembered, in the future any oatmeal in the form of flakes began to be called Herculean.

That is, Hercules porridge is the name of a separate brand, not oatmeal in general. It’s just that this name stuck, so they began to call the whole crushed oatmeal even decades later. Porridge from whole grains of this cereal is a thing of the past, today it is not popular. The new product under the remembered brand replaced it almost completely, turning out to be a better alternative.

Along with faster cooking and excellent taste, crushed grain was easier to digest, and therefore more nutritious. Today this porridge is served at home for breakfast, it is offered in kindergartens.As in the past, oats benefit not only people, but also animals - many people buy and cook this inexpensive product for their dogs.

Borrowing from advertising brands

Borrowing the names of various goods and products from widely publicized brands is a typical phenomenon not only for the past, but also for the present. This is characteristic of everyday speech. So, for example, a device for creating copies of documents is called a copier, it is also a derivative of the brand name - the manufacturer.

So the story with the name of crushed oats groats is quite typical, just this example is the most revealing. Moreover, the name "Herculean porridge" today can be found not only in shops or kiosks in the market, but also in cafes and canteens. This name has taken root very tightly.

Thus, Hercules porridge is not directly related to Hercules or his exploits. This is an advertised name for the crushed oats grain back at the beginning of the last century, which has firmly become part of everyday life. Giving porridge such a name, the manufacturer implied that it gives strength that would be enough to accomplish feats.

She was recommended for baby food, emphasizing that babies on such a diet will grow up as real strongmen. Despite the fact that the benefits of this porridge for a small child today are questioned, as well as manna, the name of the product does not change. It is unlikely to change, and sometime in the future, people are used to calling oatmeal oatmeal as hercules.