Bannock (food)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A bannock is a bread thinner than a scone. It is a form of flat cake, baked on a griddle and popular in Scotland. 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.
Scottish bannock is also quite popular in eastern Canada, especially in the Atlantic provinces.
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.
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 18th and 19th 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.
Native and Métis bannock is generally prepared with white or whole wheat flour, baking soda 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.
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.
