bannock, flat, sometimes unleavened bread eaten primarily in Scotland. It is most commonly made of oats, though bannocks of barley, ground dried peas, and a combination of grains are sometimes encountered. Selkirk bannock is made from wheat flour and contains fruit.
The word bannock derives from the Latin panicum, denoting an edible milletlike grain. Special bannocks were once made for holidays and religious feasts, such as Beltane bannocks on the first of May and Lammas bannocks on the first day of autumn. Stirring the batter for bannocks counterclockwise was popularly thought to bring bad luck.
A well-known tale of King Alfred indicates that bannocks were once commonly eaten in England. The king, unrecognized, sought hospitality at a cottage during his campaign against the Danes. He was set to minding the bannocks that were baking at the hearth and was scolded by the mistress of the house when through inattention he allowed the cakes to burn.