Groats are the hulled and crushed grains of various cereals, such as oats, wheat or buckwheat. Groats are nutritious, but hard to chew. They should be soaked and cooked for a long time. Roasted buckwheat groats are known as kasha; they are used as a main ingredient in a popular staple meal of the same name in Eastern Europe and Eurasia.
See also grits.