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High scores for bannock in the park
Nunavut Parks hosts cooking class taught by Charmaine Okatsiak
By Stewart Burnett Northern News Services Rankin Inlet Local Journalism Initiative
Bannock was a lot easier to make than Patricia Kennedy thought it would be.
“Not as good as some bannock that I’ve had in the past, so I think I need to keep practising, but overall it was really good,” she said at the Nunavut Parks’ ‘Learn to Make Bannock’ event at the Elders Cabin in Rankin Inlet Wednesday, Aug. 2.
She was in town for the week to run a science camp and thought it would be fun to swing by the event.
Ester Issaluk says she doesn’t know how to cook.
“It’s my first time and I like it,” she said about her bannock, rating it 100 per cent.
She was thankful to the hosts and said she would try the recipe at home.
Under the guidance of Charmaine Okatsiak, participants learned just the right levels of ingredients to use and how to properly fry the bannock, plus what extras to add in.
Maryjane Haduca had chocolate chips and raisins in hers.
“Easy enough when you’re watching someone,” she said about making bannock, giving it a “confident 10.”
“First time making it and then first time knowing that you can put other things in it.”
It’s her first full summer here as she approaches her one-year Rankin Inlet anniversary, so she figured she’d join some activities.
“It’s just learning tradition and enjoying the summer,” she said.
Okatsiak was pleased with her apprentices, saying everyone was making good-looking bannock and appeared to be having fun. The smiles would attest to that.
She remembers her father teaching her to make bannock as a teenager.
“I started to try on my own,” said Okatsiak. “He would watch me and guide me and it went from there.”
It’s all in the consistency of the dough, she says. A common mistake is making it more like a pancake.
“Learn from your family members,” Okatsiak advised, adding not to be afraid to make mistakes along the way. “Learn from Elders. Teach each other.”
