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Bannock the Ancient Survival Food

180 Comments | Feb 3rd 09

When deciding which food to bring on your next survival outing bannock should undoubtedly be on the list. This simple food has a rich history but its origins date so far back that they are practically unknown. Eaten by soldiers, hunters, trappers, native Indians and countless others bannock has truly earned its place in history as a key survival food.

Why Bring Bannock on Your Next Outdoor Adventure?

Bannock is a very simple yet tasty food that will boost your energy levels and satisfy your hunger. Bannock is very high in carbohydrates which is what you need to keep your body fueled when burning lots of calories throughout the day.

Bannock can easily be combined with other bush foods to make some tasty combinations. The raw ingredients to make this food are light to carry which is essential when you have a pack full of survival gear. One of the best things about this food is the simplicity of making it, you need very few ingredients and basic cooking skills to cook bannock; even a caveman could do it!

Hundreds of bannock variations exist but we will be providing you with a very basic survival recipe. As mentioned before berries, nuts, bush meat, cinnamon, cane sugar, cheese, and virtually any other kind of food can be added to this bread to enhance the flavor. Also keep in mind the most basic bannock recipe consists of flour and water, so even if that is all you have you can rest assured you will still have enough to put some food in your stomach.

If you want to conserve your supply of bannock so it will last you for weeks or even months keep all dry ingredients packaged separate from the water and lard. Only mix them together once you are prepared to cook what has been mixed. If you try to conserve wet bannock dough for longer than a day or two there is a high chance of it molding.

Simple yet Tasty SurvivalGrounds Bannock Recipe:

Combine 3-4 cups of whole grain flour, a pinch of salt, and 2-3 tablespoons of any kind of oil or animal fat with enough warm water to turn your ingredients into a semi dry dough. Careful not to add to much water! If you add too much water add flour to compensate. Feel free to add your own creative mix of fruit, nuts meat or eggs to the dough. Use your hands to kneed the dough, keep mixing until it has a thick and even consistency. At this point you want to give the bannock a quick coating of oil or fat and then its ready to cook.

Bannock can be cooked by many different methods, fried in a pan, deep fried in oil or cooked in an oven. For the sake of this article we will explain how to cook bannock over the open fire. We are discussing this method because it is the most practical way to cook when out in the wild. All you need is a fire, your bannock dough and a live green tree branch about 1/2 inch in diameter. What you want to do is roll your dough into a 1/2 inch thick snake then wrap the dough around the stick and cook it evenly over the fire until it is fully cooked. It's as simple as that!

Remember, even if you find yourself stranded in the wilderness with no survival gear at all you may still be able to scrounge up the ingredients you need to make a tasty batch of bannock. Many kinds of edible grains and nuts can be ground up and mixed with water to make bannock dough. If you are able to catch wild game animal fat can be used in the place of oil but is not even required. If you don't have the tools you need to make a fire you can try leaving your dough on a rock under the heat of the afternoon sun. You may just be happily surprised by the results!

You may also be interested in: Learning about Water Purification
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