Bannock (food)
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Bannock is a flat quickbread, baked on a griddle, and the same thickness as a scone. 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. When such a bannock is cut into wedges, the wedges become scones.[1]
The oldest and certainly the most famous of all bannocks is The Selkirk Bannock, said to have been made by a Robbie Douglas who opened his shop in Selkirk in 1859, though he is said to have spoken of opening in Selkirk as his one regret whilst on his death bed. 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. Robbie Burns also mentions 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 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, Métis and Inuit 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. The Shetland bannock is similar to this, but finished on a griddle or in the oven.
The wheat flour bannock is almost identical to the American traditional biscuit eaten at breakfast. There is a strong case that it developed from the bannock of early Scottish settlers.
Bannock is also popular with hikers and canoeists. A premix of flour, baking soda and any assortment of dried fruits, oatmeal, etc. can be carried in plastic bags.
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- ^ Clayton, Bernard Jr. (2003). Bernard Clayton's New Complete Book of Breads. New York: Simon & Schuster, 555. ISBN 0743234723.
