Bannock now served at Montreal hospital after Indigenous patient refused to eat for 2-week stay

A new comfort food is on the menu for Indigenous patients at Montreal's McGill University Health Centre.

Bannock is a dish that has been passed down through generations.

"It's something that is eaten with almost every meal. It's their traditional bread they make at home," says food service co-ordinator Christiane Azzi.

It wasn't an option when 70-year-old George Matches was in hospital for a cancer surgery last fall.

Doctors became concerned when he refused to eat during his two-week stay. It was only when he was discharged he finally revealed why.

"He said, 'The hospital food reminds me of the food in residential school,'" says psychiatrist Dr. Marie-Josee Brouillette. "I was not aware at all food can be so triggering and so traumatizing."

Matches started opening up with staff on how a hospital visit can be more welcoming.

One idea was to include a traditional food.

And so the quest began to perfect a bannock recipe, in consultation with First Nations communities.

The hope is the flatbread will not only fill bellies but lift spirits too in what can be a terrifying setting.

"Being back in familiar surroundings is much more healing than we realize. So it was for that, for comfort, for trying to make them feel safe," says psychiatry liaison nurse Julie Woodfine, who has a long history of working up North with First Nations and Inuit communities.

Sadly, Matches passed away earlier this year, unaware of the legacy he has left behind.

"We were really touched. It meant a lot to us," says Dinah Matches, one of Matches' four daughters, from her home in Chisasibi, Que.

The hospital is aiming to eventually offer bannock to all patients.