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 or fried in a pan. Originally made of oatmeal, it takes the form of a large oatcake. Many variations exist. Particularly well-known is the Selkirk bannock, which is more like a fruit cake,

Preparation

Bannock is basically simple to make; it is just bread dough fried or cooked on a griddle. It is a quick, flat bread, similar to a large oatcake. The most authentic version is a round or oval piece of unleavened dough, cooked on a griddle. The middle will rise or puff up a little. The essential ingredients are

• Flour (or oatmeal)
• Baking Powder
• Water
• Salt
• Lard or fat

The ingredients are mixed and kneaded. Then the dough is formed into small cakes and dusted lightly with flour. The cakes are then fried in a greased frying pan, which is shaken to prevent sticking. They are turned when a bottom crust has formed.

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

There are many, many different recipes for bannock. They vary by flour or meal used, by whether leavened or unleavened, by special ingredients added, by method of cooking, and by the festival or ritual that it is used for. Now, the word "bannock", though is generally applied to any kind of baked thing with a grain in it that is round, and usually largish.

Canada

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.

Ireland

Irish bannock is a Northern Irish dish, brought over by the Scots who were settled there in the seventeenth century. It is a tasty loaf similar to a scone, and is eaten for breakfast or as a snack with tea or coffee. It generally contains sultanas or currants, similar to the Selkirk bannock, although it is made with buttermilk.

Scotland

Beltane bannock

In parts of Scotland, the Beltane bannock is a popular custom. It is said that eating one on Beltane morning, guarantees abundance for one's 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 has become blackened on both sides, it can be removed, and eaten with a blend of eggs and milk.

Lammas bannock

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.

Marymas bannock

Lammas Bannock eventually was assimilated into Christianity, and Marymas Bannock was made in honor of the Virgin Mary on the 15th August, the Feast Day of Mary (Feill Moire in Gaelic.)

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.

Selkirk bannock

The Selkirk bannock is unlike the traditional oatcake bannock, more of a fruit cake. It was first made by a baker in Selkirk and was initially only made for festive occasions such as Christmas.

Selkirk bannock is made with wheat flour, butter, and many sultanas: in fact, the sultanas should make up almost half as much in weight or volume as flour. Some versions add candied peel as well. It has a flat bottom and rounded top, and is glazed with milk and sugar.

United States

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.

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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