A dense, poorly-leavened bread that travels well, making it a great, tasteless vehicle for calories. It is often used by tradidtional campers who canoe and portage for weeks at a time, as it doesn't fall apart when
wet, and can be
cooked in the heat of a dying
fire for lunch the next day. That allows the campers to unwind instead of cooking, but adds to the density of the
food.
Must be an old word for cake, because "bannock-hives" are 'swellings' from eating too many bannocks (i.e., fat rolls).