Mixed Numbers at the Feast

Bannock is a simple bread made from flour, water, and fat. It can be baked in a pan, fried, or cooked on a stick over a fire. The word comes from Scottish Gaelic, and bannock was a staple for fur traders. Today, most Indigenous nations in North America have a version of bannock, and many First Nations and Métis families have their own recipes. Bannock is often part of community meals and feasts in Saskatchewan.

When cooks plan a feast, they think in pans, pails, and cups instead of single servings. Imagine each pan of bannock is cut into 6 pieces. If 40 people each take one piece, the cooks need 40 pieces. That is 40/6 of a pan, or 6 4/6 pans. Since nobody bakes 4/6 of a pan, the cooks round up and bake 7 pans. Mixed numbers help cooks see how many full pans they need and how much will be left over.