A Canadian First Nations Staple Recipe
Whilst travelling in Canada recently, I saw the emergence of more and more First Nations restaurants and cafes in the towns and cities I visited, where Bannocks, Fry Bread and Indian Tacos are the signature dishes at most of these authentic indigenous eateries; and, whilst eating in these restaurants, I learned that the bannock is more than just daily bread to the First Nations Peoples of North America, it’s a symbol of their identity, history and culture, it’s so important, that The Ministry of Forests produced Bannock Awareness in commemoration of Aboriginal Awareness Day, which is celebrated annually on the 21st day of June. I was fascinated with the Canadian First Nations’ Bannock, as being part Scottish, I know bannocks as a traditional Scottish recipe, and although the bannock in Canada is reputed to have come across with the Scottish fur traders who worked with and for the Hudson’s Bay Company, there is also evidence that the Indigenous Peoples already had their own bannock type recipe, which the following article by Michael Blackstock explains:
“The Aboriginal staff of life, Bannock, is common to the diet of virtually all North America’s first peoples. The European version of bannock originated in Scotland and was made traditionally of oatmeal. The bannock of Aboriginal people was made of corn and nut meal, and flour made from ground plant bulbs. There were many regional variations of bannock that included different types of flour, and the addition of dried or fresh fruit. Traditionally, First Nation groups cooked their bannock by various methods. Some rolled the dough in sand then pit-cooked it. When it was done, they brushed the sand off and ate the bread. Some groups baked the bannock in clay or rock ovens. Other groups wrapped the dough around a green, hardwood stick and toasted it over an open fire. Pioneers may have introduced leavened breads to the Aboriginal people. The use of leavened breads spread and adapted from there. Pioneers also introduced cast-iron frying pans that made cooking bannock quicker and easier. Today, bannock is most often deep-fried, pan-fried and oven-baked. Bannock is one of the most popular and widespread native foods served at pow wows, Indian cowboy rodeos, festivals, and family gatherings.”
Indians trade furs at a Hudson’s Bay Company trading post in the 1800’s. Unknown artist from 1800
I am sharing two recipes today, one for Bannocks, but the Fry Bread variety, and one for Indian Tacos, the bannock recipe was found here: Basic Bannock Recipe (Fried or Stick-cooked), and I changed the measurements to metric for use in Europe and Australasia. Michael Blackstock also shares a recipe for Indian Tacos, but I tried to replicate today’s recipe from the dish I enjoyed at Feast Cafe and Bistro in Winnipeg, so, my recipe is slightly different to his, which is shared below:
Fried Bannocks: Michael Blackstock
Indian Taco
(Deep-fried)
Cook the Navajo Fry bread in cooking oil that has two tablespoons of lime juice added.
Top the cooked bannock with: chilli, shredded strong cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, chopped tomato and onion (sour cream and salsa are optional).
– Michael Blackstock –
Indian Taco in Feast Cafe Bistro, Winnipeg, MB
Navajo Fry Bread (Bannock)
(Deep-fried)
3 cups unbleached flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup milk mixed with
3/4 cup hot water (hot enough so mixed liquid is almost too hot to touch)
1 tbsp oil or shortening
oil or shortening for deep-frying (heated to 360°F)
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir in milk/water mixture and knead briefly with lightly oiled hands until smooth. Rub the remainder of the one tbsp of oil over the dough. Cover and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Pat or roll enough dough to fit in the palm of your hand in a circle about 1/8” thick (at least, a touch thicker is better). Deep-fry the dough in hot oil or shortening for about one minute per side, or until golden brown. Makes 10-12 pieces.
– Aboriginal Tourism – Native Cuisine –
Indian Taco at Feast Cafe Bistro in Winnipeg
I was very pleased with the way my fried bannocks turned out, and even happier with my Indian Taco! I’ve shared both recipes below, and I think they’d be wonderful for an alternative family mid-week supper, or for a TV sports day or weekend, with a beer or two. (Six Nations Rugby I’m thinking at the moment!) Fry Bread Bannocks are definitely on my weekly menu now, as well as the baked versions that I have seen, more akin the original Scottish bannocks recipe my grandmother used to make; they can be made sweet or savoury, and as a quick unleavened bread, they are a Godsend for frazzled cooks with not much time on their hands. This is the first in a new series of Canadian recipes I will be sharing, so do keep popping back to see more recipes from Canada, both historical and modern.
Before I go, I’d like to share a list of some of the First Nation’s cafes and restaurants in Canada – if you know of any more that I may have missed, do please let me know in the comments below! I hope you will try my Bannocks (Fry Bread) and Indian Taco recipes, and DO let me know if you make them, and how you enjoyed them. I will also be back very soon with a new post, “Why Not Winnipeg in the Winter”, based on a recent press trip to the city, and with lots of activities you can enjoy, as well as places to eat in the city…….have a great week, Karen
Bannock – Fried Bread
Print recipe
| Serves | 3 to 4 medium banncks |
| Prep time | 5 minutes |
| Cook time | 15 minutes |
| Total time | 20 minutes |
| Allergy | Milk, Wheat |
| Meal type | Bread, Breakfast, Side Dish, Snack |
| Misc | Child Friendly, Pre-preparable, Serve Hot |
| Occasion | Barbecue, Casual Party, Halloween |
| Region | Canadian |
| Website | Bannock Awareness |
Ingredients
- 125g plain flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons of fat (such as bacon grease, butter, lard or margarine)
- 2 tablespoons skimmed milk powder
- cold water, to mix
- fat or oil, to fry
Note
An authentic recipe for First Nations Bannocks or Fry Bread; these easy to make unleavened bread cakes are the mainstay of the indigenous peoples of Canada and North America as a whole. The mixture can be prepared in advance for campfire cooking in the field.
Directions
| Step 1 | Mix all of the dry ingredients together, and then rub in the fat until it resembles coarse sand. At this point, you can store the mixture in a sealed zip-lock bag for cooking in the field, as in over a camp fire. |
| Step 2 | Grease and heat a heavy based frying pan/skillet. Add cold water to the mixture, working quickly to mix it all together, to make a firm dough. Separate the dough into cakes about 1/2" thick, flatten them out, and sprinkle with extra flour. |
| Step 3 | Fry the bannocks in the pre-heated and greased pan for 6 to 7 minutes, until a crust has formed underneath, then flip them over and continue to fry on the other side for a further 6 to 7 minutes. It will take between 12 to 15 minutes to cook all the way through. (If you are in the field and you don’t have a frying pan, make a thicker dough by adding less water and roll the dough into a long ribbon (no wider than 1 inch). Wind this around a preheated green, hardwood stick and cook about 8 inches over a fire, turning occasionally, until the bannock is cooked) |
| Step 4 | Serve the fried bannocks immediately with jam, butter, honey or as an accompaniment to fried eggs, bacon, chilli or soup and stew. You can also use them as a base for Indian Tacos. |
Indian Tacos with Fry Bread Bannocks
| Serves | 3 to 4 |
| Prep time | 5 minutes |
| Cook time | 15 minutes |
| Total time | 20 minutes |
| Allergy | Wheat |
| Meal type | Lunch, Main Dish, Snack |
| Misc | Child Friendly, Pre-preparable, Serve Hot |
| Occasion | Barbecue, Casual Party, Halloween |
| Region | Canadian |
| By author | Karen Burns-Booth |
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 cooked bannocks, fry bread
- 400g lean minced beef
- 1 sachet taco seasoning
- Iceberg lettuce (shredded)
- chopped tomatoes
- 4 spring onions, chopped (or half an onion, peeled and chopped with fresh chives)
- 125g tinned sweet corn
- 125g grated Cheddar cheese
- sour cream
- sliced jalapeno peppers
Note
These delicious Indian Tacos are popular in Canada, where I first tasted them, as well as the whole of North America. They are a First Nations take on Mexican tacos, but in place of maize tortilla tacos, they use Bannocks or Indian fry Bread as a base.
Directions
| Step 1 | Fry the bannocks according to the recipe, cover and keep warm. |
| Step 2 | Dry fry the minced beef in a frying pan for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring all the time; add the taco seasoning according to the packet instructions with water, and continue to simmer until the the meat is fully cooked and the mixture is thick and dry with no excess juice. |
| Step 3 | Top each cooked bannock with the taco mince, then add the shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, onions, sweetcorn and half of the grated cheese. |
| Step 4 | Top with sour cream and sliced jalapeno peppers and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top. Serve immediately. |
Canadian First Nations Restaurants:
Manitoba:
Cookem Daisey’s, Winnipeg
Neechi Commons Come ‘n Eat, Winnipeg
Sweet Potato Croquettes, Neechi Commons Come ‘n Eat
Bannock Cheese Burger & Bison Chilli, Feast, Winnipeg
Ontario:
Kokom’s Bannack Shack Indian Taco
Tea’n’Bannock Burger
Alberta:
Native Delights Bison Roast and Berry Salad
British Columbia:
Kekuli Cafe, Merritt & Westbank
Saskatoon berry smoothie at Kekuli Cafe
Salmon’n’Bannock Sockeye Salmon
Thunderbird Cafe, Whistler – Venison Chilli with Fry Bread
La Torontoise says
Karen, I’m amazed. Love this! I remember this from my visit in Moosonee and Moos Factory in 1997. At that time, to eat in a First Nation restaurant, you had to take the Pollar Bear Express all the way to the North. There were no First Nation restaurants in Toronto and this kind of food was a kind of exotic.
Thank you for posting the recipe and these restaurants’links. I know know where to go to, in my next visit in Toronto.
Have a great week, Maya
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks so much Maya,
I am very interested in all historical recipes, both in Canada and in the UK, and elsewhere too, so this was a fascinating article for me to write.
The Polar Bear Express sounds like an amazing journey too…..
So, now you know, there is a First Nations cafe in Toronto!
Karen
Nim SIngh says
Wow, lovely recipes Karen. Thanks for the post.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Nim – I loved researching these recipes too – enjoy if you make them! Karen
Jan McClumpha says
I’ve had Navajo fry bread in Arizona. Wonderful
Karen Burns-Booth says
I have to admit to being a convert to fry bread Bannocks now!
Kavey at Kavey Eats says
Ooh I love the look of these, especially the fry bread. On one of my previous trips to Canada, I visited the Hôtel-Musée Premières Nations in Wendake in order to learn more about first nation ingredients and cooking. I wrote about it on my blog, was such a fascinating place to visit. I haven’t tried cooking any first nation recipes though, hence very interested in this post! Thanks Karen!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Kavey, ah, that is interesting, I will pop over to read your post sometime today………like you, I find the First Nations recipes and ingredients fascinating! Karen
Mary says
Gosh they look delicious!! I’ve never heard of them before – I think I might eat them with butter and jam!!
Karen Burns-Booth says
They would be very tasty with butter and homemade Jam Mary!
Johanna GGG says
this is really interesting – something I would love to try – I’ve never heard of these bannocks from canada though am familiar with the scots tradition. And I am interested in the First Nations cuisine – the one from our Aboriginal people in Australia is very meat based and history talks mostly about their hunter gather lifestyle but there is a book that says that there is evidence of farming among Aboriginal people.
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thanks Johanna, yes, lots of First Nations recipes are very meat based, but, also I have seen lots of recipes that are very berry and herb based too, with lots of lake and river fish. Karen
Annette Austin says
HI Karen, thank you for covering First Nations foods. We are so often forgotten in many ways.
We have always eaten bannock in our family. My Father used to roll it as thin as he could and cook it straight on top of our cast iron cooker. It was so crunchy and delicious with lashings of butter. There is also nothing better than bannock with bacon, fried potatoes and eggs for breakfast.
I used to break pieces of bannock and put it into my wild duck soup in a way that most people would use crackers. (Wild meat was our staple) It was so good. This past summer at our family camp out we cooked our hot dogs wrapped in bannock. We put the hot dog and bannock on a stick then slowed cooked it on the embers of the fire. Hot dog and bun in one. It was great.
We love reading about your many travels and well deserved awards. Keep up the good work. Hopefully your travels will bring you to Edmonton one day so we can meet again.
Annette and Ira
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thank you So much Annette and Ira for your wonderful comments and memories too!
I’m currently researching more First Nations recipes and ingredients, so I may be in contact to ask you about your memories and recipes etc.
I’m going to try your dad’s way of bannocks now – rolling them very thin……
Once again, thanks so much for your support and lovely comments…….
Karen
Becky says
I’ve never tried anything like this, but there’s a first time for everything! Do you think it’d be possible to adapt this to be gluten free? Thanks!
Karen Burns-Booth says
Hello Becky, I am sure that any GF four that you normally use will be fine in this recipe, do let me know if you make them with GF flour and how they turned out too! Karen
Larry Pollock says
I first had Indian Tacos from a Food Truck called The Big Chief which operated in Hamilton ON, but has since shut down as the proprietor returned to teaching on the Six Nations. Recently I tried the Indian Tacos at a very popular restaurant near Cayuga on the Six Nations. The Burger Barn has Indian Tacos on Tuesdays only and they are huge and very very good.
Robin says
Hi, I am from northern New Mexico and since my Mom taught on the Navajo reservation have made and eaten Navajo fry bread my whole life-over 60 years. The recipe is almost exactly like yours. Generally we make it almost pan sized and fry it in a cast iron skillet with about a half inch of lard. It is mostly eaten with mutton stew or served with powdered sugar. Tourists have made Navajo tacos popular. It was fun learning about the Native Americans in Canada and their version. The recipe is also very similar to sopapillas which was first made in Albuquerque and are much smaller and deep fried. Sopapillas are often stuffed with things like meat and beans, carne adovada, etc. I’m making myself hungry! Thank you, Robin
Karen Burns-Booth says
Thank you for sharing your wonderful story here Robin, I loved reading your comments and I am delighted you found my page to share your experiences. Karen
Helen ornelas says
I too lived in southern nm my mom made sopaplllas lie tortillas rolled very thin and fried in a cast iron skillet. She made them at Christmas time. She sprinkled them with plain sugar. Real treats for us.
Karen Burns-Booth says
That sounds delicious Helen
Rob Bleakley says
The name Bannock seems to originate from the Old Celtic English “bannuc”. So I think it would be fair to suppose that “European Bannocks” originated in England and not Scotland.
Scotland is one of the countries termed a modern Celtic Nation but certainly not where the Celts originated from.
Karen Burns-Booth says
I agree, as a Yorkshire Celt.