Tourism interpreter Alyssa Ross shows us her mother's recipe.
                                                                                          screen capture: David Thurton
                                                                                                 courtesy: CBCnews|North

by Sue Hamilton

Bannock recipe: How to make a northern staple

Inuvik's tourism staff offer a step-by-step guide.
by David Thurton, CBC News, Posted: Jun 13, 2015 11:08 AM CT

Bannock is the bread of the North. It's a must-have with any caribou or reindeer stew and goes well with some jam.

Most locals take the staple for granted because it's as common as sliced bread. But for visitors and newbies — like the ones who gathered this week at Inuvik's Western Arctic Visitor Centre — a piece of bannock is a novelty and a taste of the North.

Don't panic, it's easy to make

Inuvik tourism interpreter Maribeth Pokiak says bannock gained popularity in the Beaufort-Delta region because it can be made on the land.

"It was easy for a hunter to throw flour into their sled and go hunting for days," Pokiak says.

"It was easy for them to mix the bannock mixture and throw it on the fire and have dinner already instead of bread. Bread takes hours to make."

Pokiak says bannock goes back to the days of the fur trade and the introduction of flour by explorers and fur traders.

"The aboriginal people took that and made it into their own recipe," she says.

Before outsiders arrived Pokiak says aboriginal people made a type of bannock with a paste that was made from lichen and moss.

Today make bannock in the oven or over a campfire.

INGREDIENTS:

    •    2 cups flour
    •    4 teaspoons baking powder
    •    1 teaspoon salt
    •    2 tablespoons sugar
    •    ⅓ cup lard
    •    1 egg
    •    1 cup milk