We’re in Churchill, Canada, close to the North Pole. Gerald, a renowned Musher (dog team driver) takes us on a dog carting expedition with his expert sled dogs and on our return, his wife Jenafor has a bannock ready for us. Bannock is a traditional food for the Métis. The Métis are descendants of the intermarriages that occurred between Native Canadian women and European men who came from France, Scotland, Ireland and England.
Gerald reminisces, “When many of our people still lived off the land, bannock provided the essential energy our bodies needed, especially during times of hunting and gathering or during the months when the food supply was limited. The flour and lard (animal fat) originally used to make bannock are very high in energy, and loaded with calories. Now that we tend to live a less active lifestyle, our bodies don’t require such high-calorie foods; hence, we avoid using lard and also eat smaller portions.”
Often enjoyed in groups, berry picking during summers is quite an activity. Jenafor uses the wild berries picked up during the season in cooking, preserving etc. As nothing grows in the dry, cold and windy Tundra, food has to be imported and is very expensive. People work very hard, to survive in adverse climatic conditions (with a -50 C temperature lasting for more than three months).
The aroma of Jenafor’s home-baked bread wafts across the room as she takes out fresh loaves from the oven. She even mills the wheat herself. Responding to my enthusiasm, she shares a simple bannock recipe that can be made in the oven although it is traditionally baked on a stick over a charcoal or open fire.
Ingredients : 11/2 cups flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 2 tsp white sugar, 1 tsp salt, 2 tbsp powdered milk, 1 tbsp oil or melted shortening, 3/4 cup milk
Instructions : Mix all ingredients together and drop, by spoonfuls, on a greased baking sheet. Alternatively, with a bit more flour, the dough can be patted into a circle and placed in a greased cast iron frying pan and baked until golden brown. Bake at 350 F.
Vijaya Pratap is a freelance journalist and a documentary filmmaker, based in Hyderabad. She specialises in the study of art, culture, history and wildlife.
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