Bannock (food)

An Inuit woman preparing bannock

Bannock is a bread the same thickness as a scone. It is a form of flat bread, baked on a griddle. Generally made of oatmeal, it takes the form of a large oatcake. However, this meaning is not universal and some Scots use the term to refer to a wheat flour cake similar to a large thin scone.

History

The oldest and certainly the most famous of all bannocks is The Selkirk Bannock, The first bannock is said to have been made by a Robbie Douglas who opened his shop in Selkirk in 1859. When Queen Victoria visited Sir Walter Scott's granddaughter at Abbotsford she is said to have refused all else with her tea save a slice of the cake - ensuring that the bannock's reputation was enshrined forever. Robbert Burns also mentioned the bannock in his Epistle to James Tennant of Glenconner, in reference to Alexander Tennant.

Native Americans and particularly Métis, in western Canada and the northern Great Plains in the United States, adopted bannock in their own cuisine over the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, most likely from Scottish fur traders. This simple source of carbohydrates was easy to make on the trail and neatly complemented high protein trail foods like pemmican. As a result, even today many Métis and aboriginal western Canadians routinely prepare this dish. In western Canada, bannock is more closely associated with native and Métis culture than with its Scottish roots.

Variations

Native and Métis bannock is generally prepared with white or whole wheat flour, baking powder and water, which are combined and kneaded (possibly with spices, dried fruits or other flavouring agents added) then fried in rendered fat, vegetable oil, or shortening.

Inuit women preparing to make bannock.

Bannock was traditionally made by Inuit while trapping or living in camps. The dough could be wrapped around a stick and cooked over an open fire.

Bannock is also popular with hikers/canoeists. A premix of flour, baking soda and any assortment of dried fruits, oatmeal, etc. can be carried in plastic bags.

In parts of Scotland, the Beltane bannock is a popular custom. It's said that if you eat one on Beltane morning, you'll be guaranteed abundance for your crops and livestock. Traditionally, the bannock is made with animal fat (such as bacon grease), and it is placed in a pile of embers, on top of a stone, to cook in the fire. Once it's blackened on both sides, it can be removed, and eaten with a blend of eggs and milk. This recipe doesn't require you to build a fire, and you can use butter instead of fat.

A Lammas Bannock was made from the grains that had been newly harvested.

Later Lammas Bannock became a loaf of actual bread made from the first grains harvested. Lammas Bannock would be either given as a gift to the local clergy, or taken to Church to be blessed and brought home to have as part of the meal that day.

Eventually the Lammas Bannock became the Marymas Bannock. Lammas Bannock eventually was assimilated into Christianity, and Marymas Bannock was made in honour of the Virgin Mary on the 15th August, the Feast Day of Mary ("Feill Moire" in Scottish.)

The Marymas Bannock would be made from grain gathered that day, and would be cooked over a fire.

The father would take the bannock, break it up, and give a piece to each of his family in order of age. The family would then sing a song to Mary, walking clockwise around the fire.

The ashes from the fire were then scattered in the fields.

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Brown, Catherine. 1991. Broths to Bannocks: Cooking in Scotland 1690 to the Present Day. John Murray Publishers Ltd. ISBN 978-0719547805
• Kesselheim, Alan S. 1998. Trail Food: Drying and Cooking Food for Backpacking and Paddling. International Marine/Ragged Mountain Press. ISBN 978-0070344365
• Maxwell, Marion. 1997. A Little Book of Scottish Baking. Pelican Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1565542907
• Maurer, Stephen G. 1988. Bannock Book: Food for the Outdoors. Heritage Association. ISBN 978-0910467056
• Schlabach, Joetta Handrich. 1991. Extending the Table: A World Community Cookbook. Scottsdale, PA: Herald Press. ISBN 978-0836192643
• The Great Spirit Circle Trail. 2005. Bannock Making – Manitoulin Style Sudbury Star (July 16th, 2005) Retrieved June 18, 2008.
• Ferguson, Carol and Margaret Fraser. 1992. A Century of Canadian Home Cooking. Prentice Hall Canada. ISBN 978-0139534157

External links

• Welsh Bannock Traditions
• All about Canadian aboriginal bannock
• Cooking Bannock - Bushcraft Style
• Traditional Scottish Recipes - Selkirk Bannock
• Bannocks recipe
• Bannock 101
• Bannock
• Bannock recipes and variations on cooking this bread.

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