First Nations Food Inspired Dish
When I first moved to British Columbia, my mom and I attended a session at VIU’s Shq’athut where we learned about First Nations protocols and we were also able to enjoy the most amazing soup and bannock I have ever had. Before this event, I had always thought of bannock as something you wrapped around a stick and cooked over a flame, or else a thin, flat, pancake-type bread that didn’t have any rise to it. The bannock we had at VIU was more like a cornbread texture – thick and fluffy and absolutely delicious with butter.
I scoured websites for anything that looked remotely like this but it wasn’t easy. I also wanted to include something with blueberries because from my research and the materials we read in class, blueberries in this region have always been plentiful and used for a variety of dishes. It was a little tricky, but I was able to recreate something that I hope does traditional bannock some justice.
I think I have mentioned before that I feel that cooking is something that brings people together and creates community. I know that bread has sustained people through very difficult periods in human history and that every culture has its own version of bread. I realize that bannock isn’t the most inspired or complicated dish, but it is one that I find meaningful. Below is my first attempt at making bannock, which I paired with a homemade blueberry sauce.
Recipe for Bannock, by Canadian Living and a Simple Blueberry Sauce Topping
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 T baking powder
- 1/2 t salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup water
- Vegetable oil to cover the bottom of a cast-iron frying pan by 1/2 inch
You will also need:
- Medium mixing bowl
- Fork
- Measuring cup and spoons
- Cast-iron frying pan
- A spatula to flip the bread
Flour, salt, baking powder 
Ingredients blended, well created 
Add liquid ingredients 
Sticky dough
Method:
- In a medium sized bowl, add flour, baking powder and salt. Using a fork, stir to combine.
- Create a well in the centre.
- Pour the milk and water into the well.
- Using a fork, stir to combine. The dough will be quite sticky.
5. On a well-floured surface, knead and shape dough briefly until it forms a disc, approximately 20 cm across.
This was the point in the recipe that I started to struggle. I have never – not once – fried something in anything more than a drizzle of oil or butter because I am very afraid of splattering hot oil on myself or starting a fire.
Oil heated over medium 
Lots of bubbles! 
Beautiful colour and rise
6. Heat 1/2 in of vegetable oil over medium heat in a cast-iron skillet.
7. Carefully place the disc of dough into the oil and according to the recipe, flip the bread after approximately 8 minutes. You can see in the last picture above how much the dough has risen.
However, my dough was still raw after the indicated cooking time.
I think it’s likely that I had the heat on too low because I was nervous about frying with so much oil. I think that if someone followed the recipe directions exactly they would be fine. Below I have included how I ended up fixing my mistake.
Trying again with lid 
Final result 
Fully cooked
I decided to keep cooking the bread but this time, I put a lid over the bread to hopefully get the inside to cook. I continued frying for about another 3 minutes on each side, and when I removed it from the pan, the bread was darker and as you can see, cooked all the way through.
Easy Blueberry Sauce
Ingredients and Tools:
- 1 1/2 cups blueberries (I used frozen)
- Water
- A small saucepan
- A wooden or plastic long-handled spoon
Method:
- Add blueberries to saucepan over medium heat.
- Add a splash of water – maybe 2 or 3 tablespoons to begin, you can add more if needed.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until blueberries begin to release their juices.
- As the blueberries cook down, the juice will thicken. You will begin to see that the fruit is thick enough to stay divided when you run the spoon across the bottom of the pan, like in the 2nd picture above.
5. Continue cooking your fruit down until you reach your desired consistency. Cooking time will vary depending on the moisture content of your fruit. Mine took about 20-25 minutes and I ended up with about 1/2 cup of sauce.
A Delicious Treat
The end result was a delicious and filling snack of dense, slightly salty bread with a fresh tasting, warm sweet sauce. I also served it with butter and it was a big hit in our house. I think I will actually experiment with more recipes like this. I’ve recently been looking into my Ancestry, and I came across a number of Scottish bannock recipes that I think would be fun to try.
Pro-Tip: Make sure you are using a spoon you don’t mind staining!
Note: I did end up adding about 1/2 cup of vegetable oil into the nutrition facts as much of the oil I used was absorbed.
Bannock Recipe Source: https://www.canadianliving.com/food/recipe/bannock-2
Blueberry Sauce Recipe Source:
My mom
Roots and Foods 