The origin of oats is uncertain, possibly coming from Western Europe. It was eaten during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages but was not cultivated until about 1,000 BC in Europe. It thrives best under cooler and damper conditions than those tolerated by wheat or barley.

Oats was once a major cereal in Britain, mostly being grown for feeding the working farm horses. However, with their loss, the quantity grown has decreased to about one million tons per year. It is still cultivated in Northern England and Scotland and is used for the manufacture of porridge oats, oat cakes and biscuits and oat meal.

As oats are gluten-free, they can be used for making gluten-free oat bread provided the oat flour is not contaminated by traces of gluten during production in machinery used for wheat flour.