Webinar: Oats in the Culinary Tradition

Oats have a lot to offer – they contain compounds that are beneficial for health, and because they are naturally gluten‑free, they are suitable for most people with coeliac disease.

Oats are also well suited to the Finnish climate and to organic production. Old oat varieties offer versatility and reliability in cultivation.

In this webinar, we will explore the potential of heritage oats as a specialty raw material. We will discuss experiences in developing specialty products, with particular attention to their suitability for Finnish heritage oats and old oat varieties.

Time: 14 April 2026, 12:00–15:00

Place: Teams

Language: Mixed – Finnish, Swedish and English

Registration: By 10 April 2026 via this link: https://network.novia.fi/Events/396/Apply

Programme:

• Tervetuloa / Välkommen, Annika Michelson, HAMK
• Kauran kivennäispitoisuuksien muutokset kautta vuosikymmenten, Tapio Salo, LUKE
• Tradition meets innovation – old oat recipes as inspiration for future food products, Heidi Barman-Geust, Novia University of Applied Sciences
• Maku, aistit ja terroir – mikä tekee maatiaiskaurasta erityisen? Jannie Vestergaard, Sense of Nordic Food
• How can you obtain an EU geographical indication? Marjo Särkkä, University of Helsinki
• What is tempeh? Finlay Sim, University of Helsinki
• Suomalainen kaura ja terroir / Finnish oats and terroir, small‑group discussions
• Yhteenveto / Summary

The webinar is organised by the project Härlig havre – vitality from heritage grains. The project is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). It is a collaboration between Häme University of Applied Sciences (HAMK), the Natural Resources Institute Finland (LUKE), and Novia University of Applied Sciences.