Bannock 101
Bringing Bannock Back…Canada! #TrueCanadian
Bannock, a historical bread, brought back into the millennium by Kekuli Cafe in 2005. What is Bannock? It’s bread, baked, fried, fired, or cooked over an open fire, wrapped around a stick, or historically thrown into a fire, cooked in ashes, and even pit fire baked.
How could the simplicity of bannock, be revived after hundreds of years? Its like evolution, the bannock was a staple food in the diets of many First Nations communities in North America. There are thousands of recipes, and Kekuli Cafe has their very own “ancient native secret” recipe.
Every culture has their own version of fried breads, baked breads, gallettes, scones, flapjacks, oatcakes, and east-end pancakes. The Scottish have oatmeal bannock, the Spanish has sopapilla’s, and the Asians have a fried bread dough too. I love how each culture has their own version of fried breads, so many similarities, like people, food will bring us together.
Bannock, or in my Nlekpemcin (Thompson or Interior Salish) language, Seplil is our bread. Technically hundreds of years ago, there was no flour, no oil, no cast iron. Our ancestors survived on utilizing their traditional roots from medicinal plants, wild berries and bear fat used in their cooking. Thanking technology, we now have organic flours, oils and sweeteners.
Kekuli Cafe, our quaint coffee shop, serves up bannock, in many different ways, our recipes were all created by our owner, Sharon Bond. The Bannock flavours celebrate our culture of Canada, like our Saskatoon Berry, Maple Glaze, Maple Walnut, Cream Cheese Skor, and many other Feature flavours. The fun, is only beginning.
If you want to try Bannock, or Frybread, stop in Kekuli Cafe, check us out. Or try the many different recipes out there that are made at PowWow’s, Indian Rodeos, and other First Nation Celebrations around Canada. Share the experience #LoveMyBannock at Kekuli Cafe.
We love creating and inventing flavours for our bannocks, something you can’t find anywhere but at Kekuli Cafe!
Bannock is one of the most popular and widespread First Nations foods served at Pow Wows, festivals, and family gatherings. Bannock, as pronounced in my Nlakapumx (Thompson) language, is he skʷy̓ə́m tək səplil, it has become a significant part of First Nations culture and is part of the Aboriginal cuisine. Its the food that brings us together!
I found my niche in the Bannock biz, jumped right in with 2 feet, not sure who would come? Not sure who would know what we are? But I took the plunge in Bannock, and now, with all my practice of making hundreds of thousands of pieces of bannock, well over a million pieces made, our Bannock is the ancient native secret!
With practice comes excellence, and remember, no one makes better Bannock than…. Ye’ye, Kookum or Grandma! Remember who taught you well. If all else fails, bannock has been known to be used as hockey pucks or to feed the ducks.
kʷukʷscémxʷ snuk̓ʷ̓eʔ (Thank You Friends)
