Terry Halifax
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Apr 03/00) - Despite their reputation for being a dry, tasteless bit of fare, Pilot Biscuits have been a favourite of hunters, trappers, prospectors and even pilots for decades in the North.

Air Tindi pilot Kim Zenko screws his face up at the mention of Pilot Biscuits and said he won't eat one unless he has to.

"They're awful dry, but I guess if you have nothing else, they'd be alright," Zenko said.

Zenko said that if there was a packet of biscuits left in the plane, they'd be left there for emergency use only.

"They were always there because they aren't the kind of thing you just want to pull out and start snacking on them," he laughed.

While they may not be popular with the movie crowd, Zenko said the calories could keep you alive in a bad situation.

"A pack of those and a can of sardines could keep you going for quite a while," he said.

Some will fry the biscuits in bacon fat to soften the hard dough while others have some more creative recipes for getting the biscuits down.

"I've heard old-timers say they would make a bastardized kind of French toast with them or crumble them into soup," Zenko said.

Stan Hunter, who runs Stan's Quick stop in Fort Resolution, says sales of the biscuits have slowed since he first opened the store in 1974.

"We used to go through about two cases a month," Hunter said. "Now we go through about three cases a year."

Hunter agrees the biscuits are a bit hard to swallow, but they travel well.

"They're so hard, but the guys like to take them out in the bush with them," Hunter said. "Some people call it hard tack.

"It gives them something to put jam on when they're out on the land," he added.

Jean Ruben at the Paulatuk Hunters and Trappers Committee says she enjoys the taste of pilot biscuits.

"I like them," Ruben said. "They're best if they are fried in butter."