You HAVE to do a video on suckling pig…. Historical food, I think of suckling pig, King Arthur & knights of the Round table style. Suckling pig is the poster child of historical food.
I've an old recipe that gives the time you need to cook it in how long you'd need to walk around a standard, one family farm, field for a certain amount of times. Love that too. Although a tiny problem was, that the standard size wasn't that much of a staniat all. A couple of villages over it could be twice/half the size. So, after all you still just have to use common sense. xD
My English grandmother was a stickler about elbows on the table. If one of the grandchildren allowed an errant elbow to seek refuge on the table she would declare solemnly while brandishing a carving knife, “all joints on the table shall be carved!” I’m 52 now and whenever I see someone with “errant elbows” I can still hear her voice in my head 😂
I'm from India, and funnily enough my mother does this too, no elbows on the table allowed. It's amazing how different cultures developed pretty much similar habits despite never having met each other.
Elbows on the table doesn't really matter. Teach your kids to enjoy the food in their head rather than out loud and not make their eating messy or audible, and to chew with their mouths closed. That's probably good enough to keep most guests happy.
Thank you for addressing the fact that etiquette and manners WERE a thing in the Middle Ages. When reading things from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the impression I get is that manners were much more important to them than they are to us today.
When I was a child it went like this, 1. No elbows on the table 2. No talking and chewing at the same time 3. No scraping your plate using cutlery 4. If you want to leave the table excuse yourself 5. Use the butter knife not your small knife 6. Close your mouth when chewing No doubt there are others that I have forgotten!
@@brianmays4366 I see. "Rules" do not always imply "good", you mean. You have a point. However, I do not think the converse (absence of all rules or etiquette means "good") is true either. So the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle, I suppose. I'd posit that the trick is to have rules, but not for their own sake and only in so much as they help further harmony in human relationships. I.e. the spirit behind the rules is the important thing.
@Hattie Lankford Thank you for that remark. I am currently sort of constructing my own version of Christianity. In which the focus is on the *Message* of Jesus, not on questions like whether Jesus is God.
Fun fact: In German the dried grape variety of a currant is called a "Korinthe", which comes from the name of the city, but the currant berry is called "Johannisbeere", which comes from John the Baptist. His holy name day is on the 24th of June, which is when currants are starting to get ripe for picking in Germany.
Wieder was gelernt! Bei uns heißen die roten Ribisel, und nur die "schwarzen Johannisbeeren" wirklich Johannisbeeren. Da mußte ich so alt werden um mitzukriegen dass man in Deutschland auch Ribisel Johannisbeeren nennt!
I'm gonna be a suck ass here. I remember when you were so "tense" about giving up the Disney gig and going all in with this. and NOW look at the result. 1.3 MILLION subscribers and growing. Fantastic job Max.. Glad its paying the rent and you ENJOY doing it. Keep that perfect hair coiffed!!
@@remen_emperor He mentioned it in [can't remember which] video, so hardly some rumor/ big secret. Just one of those cases of "oh, I must have missed that episode."
fun fact: in German there's saying that says "den Löffel abgeben", which translates to "to pass on the spoon". It means basically "to die". and it comes from mideaval times when spoons were so valuable that they were heirlooms. But be careful when saying that someone passed the spoon, it is not really a nice way of breaking the news. it's more like "someone bites the dust"
Another one passes on the spoon, another one passes on the spoon, and another one gone and another one gone; another one passes on the spoon. A far superior song indeed xD
@@broyhan Funny, when i look this shit up i find lots of sources talkin about the concept of "passin ones spoon" as a euphemism for death in German. You got some evidence to back up your claims of it bein utter nonsense?
Three old long gone ladies from Virginia reminded me last century that "Enough is as good as a feast." It's always stayed with me. For I found it to be true.
General comment: The show’s creator/host has the inquisitiveness of a 5-year old (that’s a good thing) and the articulation of a writer/producer who really has the chops. Kudos!
Man, that "turn around discretely and throw it somewhere" made me throw my head back and laugh hahaha. Just imagine watching someone try to get away with that at your dinner table 😁
Yeah lol. It reminded me of how I used to try and hide food I didn't want to swallow. I didn't throw it across the room but discreetly spat it into a tissue or gave it to the dog who was close by. Throwing it across the room is hillarious 😂 .
Table manners in most Asian countries couldn't be more different than Western Europe. The British I'm sure were appalled that slurping and burping were considered perfectly normal at the dinner table in most of India.
@AxelQC OMG that episode would be amazing but crazy long... I'm not very familiar with its intricacies, but courtly manners at Versailles were EPIC. When you entered a room, you had to walk into it in a certain way, while acknowledging certain people and greeting the social seniors with deference, all while saluting the host. And Heaven forbid you accidentally turn your back on the wrong person! Oy vey.
Oh, I would love to see something like this! I'm very interested in how different cultures did things, mostly for worldbuilding reasons but also because I love learning about anything and everything haha.
Food is such an important link to the past, it can tell us so much about the life of the people that came before us, stuff you'd never learn in a history book. Thanks for all your hard work in bringing this information to so many people. You're a favorite in our house, we never miss a video. Keep up the great work!
@@lootownica History is a subject that should be combined with other subjects _far_ more often than it is. History and language/literature? Always a relevant combo! History and maths? Might be harder, but I think the text problems would be far more interesting if they took inspiration from real-world situations. (And not just “Sally bought 280 bananas” or “Mattias needs 88 hammers,” because while those are real scenarios, they really need more context if you don’t want the kids to go “nobody does that.”)
I concur, growing up, conversation around the daily table was usually just how was your day, etc. But during holidays and reunions when the extended family got together, it became a time of remember when, and stories and history from the family were trotted out for those that weren't around to remember it. In this way, we still have stories of our great-great-grandparents that have been dead close to a century (or more in one case). Too often that kind of conversation is lost today.
@@ragnkja We often hold dinners from different periods in history, adopting the dress and character of a person from that time. We even incorporate some party games of the period, and thoroughly enjoy ourselves discussing politics and people of the time as if they are current. We have ranged from Ancient Greece to the gilded age, and covered many countries.🖤🇨🇦
As a non-native English speaker I love when the medieval English is read phonetically. At first you look at it and have no idea what it means untill you try to read it loud and listen to yourself. Suddenly everything becomes clear. Did that with Cantenbury Tales a bit. Lots of fun! To some extent it was even easier to read and understand than the modern English translation, since some of the words were phonetically much closer to their counterparts in other European languages. :D
My father always told me that the elbows on the table thing came from sailors. Because out at sea in order to keep their food from going everywhere they'd place their plate between their elbows to stop it from sliding around. And sailors were often seen as rough and unrefined and carried these habits with them when not on a ship
My grandpa said that too, and he'd tell us to not put our elbows on the table because roving bands of pirates would see us using our elbows and "know" we'd been at sea before and would steal us for free labor 😂
Life hack for dealing with silver skin (i.e. the membrane on the back of a rack of ribs): work up a corner of the membrane with a paring knife (just enough to grab onto), and use a paper towel to hold the skin while you pull it away from the meat. Also works great on pork ribs.
@@cogspace Alton has taught me so much about food and cooking. Could you imagine a collaboration between Max and Alton? I'd be afraid TH-cam would implode from the awesomeness 😅
The “elbows on table” rule was to be considerate with table space as most eating arrangements were particularly close together. Putting your elbows on the table was annoying to those around
It is also probably worth mentioning that it effects your posture, something that you had to have a lot of in that time. Elbows on tables shows you're quite a slouched individual who does not take what he does seriously, and is therefore of no importance to anyone above you as you prove to be a lowly peon brought in by someone's good will (which will be tarnished for such piggish behaviour on your part)
It disappeared from etiquette in Britain through most of the regency period until the rise of the middle classes, who embraced it. This was probably to do with the expense of nice clothes and the possibility of wear at the elbows.
Ohh interesting. In my country meals are more of a social activity (often times we spend a few more hours chatting after finishing the actual meal) and even though putting your elbows on the table Is not expected, doing the opposite almost makes it seem like the person isn't engaged/interested in the conversation/people around them and can be seen as rude-ish
Great channel for Culinary history buffs and foodies. Now every time I make dinner, I imagine Max telling me to cook it "Until it be ready" and then "Serve it Forth.."
"Do not be afraid of vomiting" will be on my next birthday dinner invitations. A true medieval feast indeed! I had to drop everything and laugh my ass off when you said this, you'd think it'd be something to expect when just before you were talking about no farting at the table. Love your videos.
The thing about the hand washing and the bringing out of basins reminds me of the Passover seder. In addition to the reading of the hagaddah, reclining to the left, and drinking four cups of wine, we also have to ritually wash our hands several times. Growing up it was the children's job to bring a basin and a cup around the table for everyone to wash with.
My mother's side of the family is almost entirely Russian, and we know of ancestors going back centuries. There's a story (which was probably embellished over generations, but this is the version I heard from my grandmother) about one ancestor, a general, being invited to dine with the tsar. He was fairly well-off, but not off the same social class as the tsar, so he was freaking out about how to present himself. Ultimately, he simply decided to copy what the tsar and other nobles did. Fast-forward to the dinner, and all was going well. After people were finished eating, a water bowl was passed around (starting with the tsar, of course). Everyone washed their fingers in it, including the general, who then passed it to the man next to him. This man was an excellent soldier, but came from poor, "uncouth" origins, and apparently hadn't been paying attention at all. He took the bowl of hand-water, raised it to his lips, and drank it all in one go. The tsar was supposedly unfazed, but I can't help but wonder what might've happened to that man after the dinner... EDIT: Apparently this is a popular yarn to tell with all sorts of settings and characters, and I never even knew! At least I can confirm that my ancestor was real. My great-grandmother had an old photo of him, and presumably my grandmother got it after she passed.
Fascinating anecdote. It kind of reminds me of a Russian-Swedish film 'The Sovereign's Servant'. There is a scene after the battle of Poltava where Peter the Great and his generals are entertaining the officers of the captured Swedish officers (as was the custom in those days). Among the Swedes is a French nobleman - an observer sent by Louis XIV - who makes disparaging remarks about the behavior of some of the Russians as being 'like peasants'. Peter's response is to shrug and state that as they ARE peasants then it's perfectly fine for them to amuse themselves like peasants. Makes me think that some Tsars were not as 'up themselves' as their detractors like to claim.
@@richardarcher7177 My impression is that it was mostly those who weren’t quite at the top of the social hierarchy who were the sticklers, and that those who practically only ever interacted with social inferiors could be far more blasé.
Very interesting story! My mother's side is completely from the former Soviet Union so our stories go only as far back as maybe a couple generations before the revolution. One of my favorite stories is during the Civil War. When the red army won, they were sending messengers to different territories belonging to Russia, one being then Turkistan. My great great grandfather was a member of the Tekke tribe in modern day Turkmenistan. There, wealth was measured in how many sheep you had, and my great great grandfather had the most in the village. A week before the red army came to his village a messenger came warning the people that their wealth would be taken and the rich might even be killed. So in order to protect himself he slaughtered all his sheep and held a week long barbecue. When the red army arrived he had nothing
I never realized how many table manners my grandmother and mother taught me until I grew up and started eating with either random people or more diverse friends. So many of these manners seem to have their origins in the Middle Ages, it's really interesting. They never just sat me down and said, "Now you're going to learn table manners." because I would have surely revolted. It was a long, gradual process over my entire childhood and they're so ingrained in me now, I never even thought about them until I started having to teach my own children how to behave at the table.
Wait… You didn’t have someone sit you down and say this is the day you were learning table manners? Oh… Crap… I think we had two very different childhood. Being blind, my parents didn’t bother, they tried once, to teach me how to hold a fork. They then gave up when “hold it like a pencil! No, not like that! Do you know how to hold a pencil? “Didn’t go anywhere. Eventually, at age 9, my braille teacher got set up with hearing complaints about my atrocious table, manners, and sat me down and explained to me that table manners were extremely important. She finally said to me listen, this is the day you are going to learn table manners. If you do not start using them, we will send you to the office. To me, that was a fate worse than death. Lol!
The rule about not peering into your hankerchief after wiping or blowing your nose as if expecting pearls or rubies to appear is probably the only thing I remember reading from my middle school history textbook as I was reading ahead into a part not covered by the teacher and it struck my immature self as so funny that I never forgot it. Thank you for reminding me of that moment of 30ish years ago. 😂
The irony is that modern health professionals have been saying that we SHOULD be doing exactly that -- assuming that we have a proper handkerchief or facial tissue handy, inspecting your sputum (what you've just sneezed out) will let you know how ill or how well-recovered your health is -- especially as there's the possibility of bloody discharge in extreme cases.
19:30 Don't talk with food in your mouth, we just went over this 😂 Fantastic video, thanks for the watch! Going to give this recipe a try at the start of our next DnD campaign!
The Miss Manners place Max mentions reminds me of a tea room a couple doors down from where I take krav maga lessons. Just interesting that kids are having tea parties and being taught etiquette while I try not to get hit in the groin a few walls away.
I remember a line from a story about Medieval Marriages: "The wet hand doeth not belongeth into the salt bowle, nor the greasy hand into the woman's bosom necklyne." Something we definetly should bring back. But the ribs look supertasty, and definetly something I might give a try.
My friends and I run with the idea that you haven't eaten ribs until you have used Q-Tips to clean the BBQ sauce out of your ears. mmmmmmmmmmmmm ribs....
Love your history lesson. I'm 79 this month and learnt this manners Poem in 5 th grade. If you must speak, Before you speak, 5 Things observe with care. Of whom you speak, To whom you speak, And how and when and where. It's a good rule to live by, it saves one from getting embroiled in gossip.
Max you are incredible. My wife and i watch your videos with our son. It's done wonders to help our son learn about cooking AND history, two things he absolutely loves. Your smile is contagious and we all hope you know just how amazing you are. Keep up the wonderful work.
"I'm so glad that all of those issues have been completely banished from today's society, right?" Welp, I just nearly snorted iced tea all over my keyboard right there. 😂 Thanks, Max! As always, you are a treasure.
Why? You mean there were differences betweeen 7th century Scotland and 15th century Venice or 11th century Spain? If Hollywood has taught me one thing about the mediaval period then it is the fact that all people were covered in mud, ate stale gruel und would never wash and for some reason it was rainy and cloudy for 99% of the time.
@@michaelkores6860 lol, true Modern movies about the medieval times are so dark and gray. Old medieval movies from around the 50s and 60s were so colorful, beautiful and realistic when it comes to the aesthetics of the time.
@@Augusto9588 What bugs me the most is that the majority of people believe the stupid ahistorical bullshit that is presented in most movies, books and video games.
@@Augusto9588 They always show the castles today as grey and dungeonesque. That's how they look today because they have aged. When they were built they would have been whitewashed and painted with all sorts of colors and motifs and plastered with tapestries.
Never watched your channel before, but that rack of ribs caught my eye. I'm a recently retired Science teacher, but I've always had a strong interest in the daily life of the Medieval and Renaissance periods, specifically their tools, utensils, manufacturing methods, etc. Seeing someone recreate their cuisine is fascinating. As Ahhh-nold said, "Owl be back!"
Middle school science teacher here and I have always had the same interest (although not as much after mid-15th cent). Monarchies and politics interest me less than the cultures and the way everything was accomplished in life. Culinary history is a huge aspect of that: what did they eat, when did they eat, how did they eat, what did they use to eat, what did they use to cook, etc. Maybe there's a connection between science and this interest.
i love this episode , as someone who actually was a member of the SCA and has been to several medieval feasts i can state everything you stated is true. i miss it sometimes.
The Society of Creative Anachronism is such a great organization! I learned how to make basic chain mail at one of their presentations a couple of decades ago. I think of that lesson every time I see chain mail.
The return of the “no elbows on the table” rule in the Victorian period, when etiquette manuals were mostly sold to the middle classes, was explained in at least one such manual I’ve seen as being about wearing out your elbows would give away that you had a limited supply of nice shirts. Given that tight neckties were essentially instituted in some British banks to force you to prove you could afford the laundry bills they caused by mucking up your collars and thus proving you were sensible with money, I can totally believe it.
This is one of the very few comment sections I read on TH-cam, and I'm always pleasantly surprised by the unexpected bits of history I learn of and then end up researching after a video. That was very interesting, thanks for sharing!
@@Kiayin7 no problem. Incidentally, the immediate solution was to sell detachable collars, which being far cheaper to buy than shirts, allowed the whole lot to be washed at once.
@Mulletmanalive - The elbows and shirt reason is the first explanation I've heard that makes sense as in 'practical sense' or a good enough personal reason to follow.
Which is interesting because it's an "old money" thing to wear out your clothes and endlessly mend them over the years. Students at elite British schools would rub their shirt collars with sandpaper to give them an "aristocratic" look.
One of your best yet! I had no idea the manners were such a big deal back then. I can't wait to make those ribs. My wife and I were drooling when we saw the finished meal. Thank you for the multitude of laughs also!
Hey Max. We made the roasted beef ribs tonight for dinner over pumpkin mash. We added dried cherries to the recipe. We all loved it and would make again
Oh my word! YES! That line about peering into the hankie!!! Oh my word! That needs to be highlighted and repeated in every modern book of manners! My heavens, Sir Max, you are a genius! Delightful lecture, this! Thank you!!
I have an apocryphal story about that .My first date was studying law and was required to attend the local court as an observer. One case was someone busted for possessing a small piece of cannabis resin. Which the prosecution claimed was secreted in a handkerchief A witness was asked what had passed and had the defendant showed him his handkerchief. He said Yes. 'And what did you see in said handkerchief?' 'Snot' The judge was old, deaf and doddery so he asked what the witness had said The Learned gentleman 'had to say 'He said Snot my Lord' 'Snot?' Yes. Snot' By which time the law students were under the benches with their Own handkerchiefs stuffed in their mouths to stop them being ejected for Contempt of Court Date said it was better than Monty Python. The pothead got off.
I never considered his videos to be a lecture, but it's accurate! I'd say I wish my history teacher was like Max, but he's pretty enthusiastic too so I can't complain too much. But dear god do I not care about the Spanish-American war 😂
I kind of have to look if I'm particularly congested. The colour tells me the difference between whether it's just my allergies being extra annoying and I can carry on with my day or if I'm actually sick and should go rest.
Congrats on your book becoming a bestseller on Amazon in like less than 24 hours! Can't wait to get my hands on it, as I always love your videos, I know it'll be great.
A lot of cooking is still 'eyeball' - just learn what it should look or taste like and, then, use all your senses to get the desired results. I rarely measure my herbs and spices. Only, when its a new recipe and I want a baseline experience or an Indian recipe (which are scary to cook and usually need a lot of special, expensive spices)
At least in my house, growing up, we were taught the reason you don't rest your elbows on the table is 1. you take up unnecessary space. 2. you might push something over. 3. it makes you slouch, or otherwise adopt bad posture 4. leaning forward on the table is an aggressive posture unwelcome at the table, and most unfitting of a well-brought-up child 5. at my house our kitchen table was round, so if you leaned forward to rest on your elbows, your head would block the view between two or more people who were often trying to have a conversation.
A currant can also be a service berry (in Dutch those are called krenten) those bushes are all over europe and are often used in cooking. Now they are often replaced with raisins or dried grapes, but older recipes use krenten or service berries a lot.
It reminds me of the middle-eastern style dishes I sometimes make - lamb stew with dried sour cherries plus sweet spices - I'll also add a single dried pepper, which adds a background heat. I serve it with couscous.
@@kimquinn7728 I'm not really a recipe person and this isn't a great place for normal format. 1lb lamb stew 1 lb carrots, peeled in 1" chunks 2 sweet potatoes, peeled in 1" chunks 1 spanish onion, in large chunks oil 1 dried Mexican pepper pod Here's where measurements fail me 1 pinch cinnamon 1 pinch cumin couple bay leaves handful each dried cherries (or cranberries) and slivered almonds (toast the almonds) 1 tbls balsamic vinegar salt and pepper to taste Oven at 300F In large oven proof pot with lid, brown the lamb in the oil. Remove and saute the onions until translucent. Add back in all the ingredients except the salt and pepper, plus about two cups liquid (water, stock, white wine) Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Cover and place in oven for at least two hours. Correct seasons before serving. I rarely add salt because I use kosher lamb, and that's salty, but pepper is always good. Serve over standard or whole wheat couscous.
@@mamadeb1963 Its a perfect recipe and I have all ingredients except the cherries which I will purchase. Cooking is like alchemy. Thank you for sharing! I love lamb. It will be delicious.
@@alexapostolides I agree. The world was a far more connected place than we think it was. And that it survives as barbecue today makes sense to me, too.
I remember reading some of the Medieval courtesy books in college including the Book of the Courtier (Castiglione) and Erasmus. I recall rules in them about not poking your fingers in the eggs as well as not spitting over the table. Good advise...still stands today!
My favorite part of Der Wälsche Gast (which I also read in college) is when he advises young squires to never stand on a bench that a knight is sitting on
Loving your channel, Max. Also the rules in some parts of europe (Spain for instance) of not putting your hands in your lap or under the table during meals, to show there are no concealed weapons.
it's so interesting seeing the origins of so many table manners/rules i was forced into by my grandma. my grandma was a traditional southern lady and she told me to never speak unless spoken to at the dinner table, don't blurt out talking or burst out laughing, don't interrupt ppl, no elbows on tables, chew with mouth closed, no burping/farting, and if i didn't do any of that - WOODEN SPOON!! let me tell you that wooden spoon hurt almost worse than any belt whoopin i ever had! it's interesting to see that certain things that i thought were ridiculous (like no elbows on table) actually have legit reasons in their origins. also, you pictured some of my fave movies in here! gone with the wind, jurassic park, and a couple others. (also yes i know gwtw is problematic but i do still enjoy parts of it, it's a childhood favorite)
This is the second time I have came across the phrase "Do not stare into your handkerchief as if pearls and rubies fell out of your head". We had a medieval feast in the 5th grade, and that textbook line always stuck with me. I made sauerbraten, no idea how authentic it was, but I remember it tasted wonderful, and everyone loved it!
I love your telling of the history of the name of Currents. Etymology is something I really nerd about, it's fascinating seeing how the word for a thing got to be that way!
I went to etiquette school too! The only rule that really stuck with me (because I thought it was weird) was that the "most polite" time to invite someone over for tea was 4 pm. Anyway, the most polite way to eat a rack of ribs is ravenously. To do otherwise is an insult to the cook.
That looked really good👍. This reminds me that it was my older sister that taught me manners and not put my elbows on the table. She is 10 years older and she went to secretarial college and it included going to a "school of grace". I don't think there is such a thing anymore.
Easier in Swedish: The berry is called "Vinbär" - "Wine-berries", so a completely different from Korinter, aka Raisins of Korinth. (The confusion for us is rather what the heck the difference is between raisins and korinter, since most people in Sweden mean the same thing, tho the only real difference is that korinter apparently is sweeter if they indeed are made from the authentic grape).
@@nathanpont3831 If we need to point it out, I think they would be called "sultanrussin" or "sultanarussin" ("Russin" = raisins in Swedish. Same word for singular and plural.) in the ingredients. But then probably just called "russin" in the rest of the recipe if you don't have to differentiate. And I guess our feelings for the sultana isn't as high as others are. I see a lot less of them in local recipes than for example English ones. Maybe they are more common here now with the rapidly increasing influx of food influences, but I can't recall ever even heard about them 30 years ago. For me it's just a yellow raisin.
Fun fact: (true) currents are called vinbär (lit. "wine-berries") in Swedish, causing confusion with grapes but in a somewhat different way (especially since their use for wine is relatively rare save for the occasional blackcurrent wine).
In Norwegian, redcurrants are “rips” or sometimes “rødrips” to distinguish them from the white cultivar, called “hvitrips/kvitrips”, and blackcurrants are “solbær”, which literally means “sunberries”.
I am really enjoying your videos, this history is so amazing and such a variety. While watching this episode at 12:52 about table manners, there are some things just not done.... Eating with one elbow on the table, coming to the table as a man and shirtless or in a "tank top", respecting that older people get served first, kids sit in a different area from adults. Table manners vary by culture, those above are what I grew up with in the 70s and before. A famous quote from my Grand-dad, "..as a kid I could not figure out how they caught this chicken. When us kids came to fix our plates, there was only legs and wings. I'm thinking, this must be a really fast chicken...how did they catch him?" I always associate this with table manners because we are loosing these memories.
😂😂😂😂😂😂that one quote is my absolute favorite!!! If you do blow your nose into a handkerchief. One must not gaze upon it as if pearls and rubies have fallen out of one’s head! Hahahahahah that is the funniest thing I’ve heard in a long time!
"as if pearls and rubies might have fallen out of your head" Thanks for including this! I heard it a long time ago and was starting to wonder if I made it up, haha
When I was a kid tending current bushes was one of my favorite pass-times. When I was 10 or so my mother ordered me a few bushes of my own (my grandmother had a couple bushes on the farm before that) and I planted and tended to them until I left for college. They make wonderful jelly as well...
I was surprised that some people would find the term “currant” in a recipe confusing. I always assume it means dried, as where I live you can’t buy fresh currants in stores, and only occasionally find them in gardens. I have tried red and white currants as our neighbour grew them, sadly I’ve never been able to try fresh blackcurrant.
Another reason for the "no elbows on tables" rule (excluding the classist attitudes towards sailors, prisoners, or just the working class in general who put their elbows on the table for a variety of practical reasons such as preventing your plate from slipping off the table in a ship or guarding your food with your arms as you ate it) is that elbows on table give an aura of being domineering or aggressive. When someone is hunched over and using their arms to actively spread their body to take up the personal space of those next to them, it's a body language signal that they're on edge and they don't trust those around them. Which contradicts the ethos of table manners that you should conduct yourself in a way that displays calmness, openness, and just generally being non-disruptive.
@@dumbbellenjoyer Looks like every generation could have their own take on the reasons for old rules. My favorite though, is Max's, about not wanting to flip the entire table over. If the rules were made because something was an issue, I think this would be a fairly amusing (unless one were the perpetrator) scene!
As kids in the 50's& 60's, we were taught table manners when visiting relatives. It always made me uncomfortable not being able to put my elbows on the table, since we did that at home most of the time.
Loved the wee side-lecture on the various types of currants! 🥰 I'm so fascinated by the way names of things change over time, as well as the mystery-solving involved in figuring out the ingredients of historical recipes? Max's consistent effort in careful research is one of the things I appreciate most about his channel!
13:05 🤣 I was bracing myself for it. My Scottish grandmother says "All joints on the table shall be carved" 😂 I'm pretty good with etiquette but this one catches me occasionally 😂
I've read a depiction of one medieval feast. Young knight wanting to appear very well-behaved to his beloved, instead of sitting and eating with the rest of guests, he stood behind her seat, changed her plates, poured wine etc. For the whole feast. Now that's both manners AND dedication.
Quite different from a baron serving Louis ix that, according to Jean de Joinville, built a miniature catapult and would use it to break the glasses of the other guests during the feasts.
New sub here, I binge-watching all your videos and I enjoyed the old recipes and learning about historical food! Keep up more videos on historical foods.
Ha! Usually I watch your vids and just get hungry... this time, I'm making dinner - crushed cracker crumbs/potato chips and pecans crusted egg-dipped Iowa Chops - browned in peanut oil and baked covered in the oven for 1 hour - then uncovered at 350 for 115 minutes to crisp up. While that's cooking, my red and green cabbage is cooking - German style - with sauteed onions, bacon with a little sugar, apple sauce and apple cider vinegar - spices are a little ground clove, salt, pepper, garlic powder and thyme. Fry the bacon, remove and sautee the onion and then add the cut red and green cabbage and other ingredients with the addition of some beef broth. Very similar to what you showed in another vid... actually. Good stuff. Keep these coming.
5:56 This one made me laugh - that's a much more alcoholic version of what we were taught to take as a host/ess gift, which was flowers, chocolates or home baking! 😆
The one about blowing your nose and then opening the handkerchief to look at it reminds me of a Red Dwarf episode where Kryten berates Lister for doing this very thing. "What do you expect to see in there? A Turner seascape perhaps? The face of the Madonna? An undiscovered Shakespearean sonnet??" Clearly there will always be "those people" among us. (It's me, I'm one of those people)
I check my hanky because I suffer from chronic nosebleeds and every time I blow my nose I need to know whether I need to now find something to stuff up there and a place to lie down, or if I can safely go about my business.
This quote from my English Great-Grandmother (Edwardian) “All joints on the table will be carved!” I have the same le creuset casserole! I love it for so many things!
13:05 interesting that I've seen a few explanations in the comments, none of them actually explaining the origin of our MODERN elbows-off-the-table bit. Plain and simple, it was classism. You see, if you were a *sailor* at the time, it was common to hold your plate in place while you ate with your elbows- those who have been on ships before can confirm gravity has a habit of being indecisive. See, the thing about the navy at the time is that almost all sailors were lower-class, and when they cane ashore and ate with elbows on the table it marked them as lower class. So, rich folks made it a requirement for good manners!
I actually made these im my crock pot, and they turned out pretty good. They didn't have that nice grilled or oven cooked crust to them, but they were super tender and went really nice on some pita bread with some fresh tomatoes.
max, i just got back from my job at a local texas barbeque 😅 for those of you who are making this recipe, or just ribs in general and are struggling to take off the silverskin -- that membrane he said to take off on the bone side -- using paper towel to grip the membrane helps if its too slippery for you. if you need help getting to it, you can use a paring knife and wedge it between the bone and the membrane. it doesnt go all the way to the bone though, so make sure you dont accidentally slice off the actual meat. usually, i just remove it by hand -- if you run your finger right between the bone and the meat where it was cut, you can separate the membrane a little. then just stick your finger in, widen the gap, and pull evenly. good luck everyone!
Great recipe! I was almost expecting the dish to be a bit more on the sweet/sour side. The vinegar/dried currant/raisin combination reminded me of some old German recipes that had been handed down through my wife's family. Everyone has heard of SauerBraten, but in one particular region they were known for a whole slew of sweet sour dishes, from Sauer Kalfliesch (sweet and sour veal) to Sauer Eider (sweet and sour hard boiled eggs) and everything in between (fish, beef, etc) and almost all of them served over boiled potatoes. I remember reading an old (1700-1800's) German traveler quote saying that basically you will either like it or hate it. The recipes we have are from my wifes 3rd Great grandparents. The Sauer Kalfleisch has been tweaked for the post WW2 affordable ingredient availability in the states, it now lists pork and beef sirloin in place of the veal. Loved the video, and the book is on preorder...We can't wait for it to come out!
12:50 I don't know for sure, but when a table was actually a board on a set of trestles it would be risky to lean on the edge with your elbows. You could upend the whole lot. With later tablecloths, you might tug at the fabric if you move an elbow, and so upset glasses, goblets, etc.
I got excited there for a second, but the currants that grow wild all over where I live are ribis currants. The wrong ones. Dammit, almost had a free ingredient for once. Oh, well, the ribis currants, especially Golden Currants, are still delicious fresh or dried.
For what it's worth, there's no such thing as "The Harleian Manuscript." There are Harleian manuscripts, i.e. the manuscript collection assembled by Robert Harley and his son and presently in the British Library, but any reference to "the Harleian manuscript" in a book is just saying "that Harleian manuscript I mentioned before." A better way to refer to a manuscript is by its shelfmark (which you have here in a caption), so "Harleian Manuscript 4016" and then "MS 4016" or "Manuscript 4016" after that.
Lol, you are so adorable with the facial expressions you give while tasting a dish. You do a great job of giving us the tone of culture and history of the different times you are covering. Delightful. Thanks so much for your hard work and research that goes into your productions.
Max, your videos are very positive without ever being hilarious. They have a lot of knowledge without ever being too dry. It's just good, immaculate vibes all the way. Thank you, you're a cool person.
I bet those were good. I’m starving now! I’m going to cook these for dinner and I will be using my own manners by eating large bites and so much I’ll pass out from a food coma. Can’t wait. Thank you for this recipe, I’m so excited!
The TASTING HISTORY COOKBOOK is available for preorder HERE: amzn.to/3NKTSaM or www.simonandschuster.com/books/Tasting-History/Max-Miller/9781982186180
just so you know, 'Le Roman de la Rose' actually means The Book of the Rose or The novel of the Rose, romance, in french, is actually spellled the same way as in english, it's romance.
This was a fun episode! I always have the impression that medieval people were so dirty all the time. But it's interesting to learn they understood the importance of clean hands at meal times.
If anything, not understanding the exact mechanisms disease spread by kind of made them _more_ obsessed with cleanliness. It makes sense that someone who associated dirt and bad smells with disease would be rather keen to have clean, sweet-smelling hands any time they came into contact with food.
Medieval people (as well as people even further back in time) often took hygiene quite seriously. The talk about them only "bathing" once or twice a year is blown way out of proportion and devoid of necessary context. Peasants didn't "bathe" often by our definition of bathing, however they did wash everyday. If you've ever taken what I call a "bird bath" with a sink of water, soap, and a washcloth then you basically did what peasants did back in the day. There were lots of reasons that peasants, and even middle class merchants, didn't take a full on baths very often. Water is heavy, and hauling enough water to fill a bathtub large enough to fit an adult is a LOT of work. You also have to take into consideration heating that water, it takes a lot of fuel to heat several gallons of water. Something that wasn't always available in large quantities because gathering firewood was strictly controlled. Then you have to haul all that water back outside and dump it. 😵💫 The Victorians started most of the misinformation people believe about the past. They were great at making up BS to make themselves look better and more virtuous lol.
@@erinjackson6243 So true! (I'm totally calling my lighter washing a Bird Bath from now on. I do that sort of thing often in the summer when I want to freshen up in the middle of the day. You pick up all kinds of habits Medieval-Reenacting!)
Medival Europe was actually preatty clean given what they had available to them. Bath-houses and Saunas where common all over, though not always look upon favourably by the Church because of extracurricular activeties sometimes taking place there. They would always wear linen or hemp clothes closest to the skin. Both are fibers that can basically be cooked when cleaning them. There where big laundry operations everywhere to clean them. It was a secure way for woman to make money in the periode, though again the Church had some issues becuase of sometimes extracurricular activeties even if mostly the woman actually just provided crucial cleaning services for the community. Other than the next to the skin layer of clothes most where made from wool which actually has some powerful dirt repellent and self cleaning qualities when cared for the right way. Lavender actually has bug repellent chemicals and even though they didn't understand how it worked they could see tht it worked and so they used it around the house for that purpose. When you look at the actual historical facts the time periode people in Europe where the dirtiest is probably 1650-1850. Ironically the Enlightenment and later the Industrial Revolution broke down a loot of the chaines of knowledge transfer of how to stay clean and nobody understood polution and germs yet, which was a recipe for disaster in a lot of ways in the late 18th century.
17:32 Funny, when I was a kid (1960s) we were still taught to leave a little on the plate at the end...for the fairies. We were not well off by any means, but still we had to leave a little.
Another manner I have added to my sit down family meals. No phones at the table. This unbelievable hard for some of my grandkids but without their phones in hand, they talk and laugh with each other. Those ribs look so good. Thanks.
"If she speaks, someone says it is too much. If she is silent, she is reproached for not knowing how to greet people. If she is friendly and courteous, someone pretends it is for love. If on the other hand, she does not put on a bright face, she passes for being too proud." Yeah, about that... 😣
@@verenamaharajah6082 Not just women, and probably not just very modern apes. It's a fairly universal part of the human condition, unless you're a sociopath. Men are just socialized to swallow it until powerful laxatives are needed, or to lash out violently at the slightest provocation, and neither ends particularly well.
It's interesting how many of the "ancient" manners carry forward to today. One that hasn't - tossing food across the room - has just become "Discreetly hide thy inedible morsel in thy napkin and hopest no guest thus sees."
Oh, we have All been There! Another helpful one is that hound! Discreet cough, place said morsel in hand, lower arm and hope Fido has noticed! Maybe that was what the dogs were for?
The most trouble I have ever gotten into regarding table manners had to have been the upteenth time the folks caught me discretely sneaking the food I didn't like to the dog under the table. We always had a dog after Mom discovered that a good dog was indispensable for keeping the floor clean when there were little kids at table.
@@hogwashmcturnip8930 My grandmother's dog would certainly agree that this was her purpose in life. At a meal, she would lay her head on the nearest lap and look up with huge, hopeful brown eyes while drooling gently all over one's knee.
This sounds and looks quite tasty! We wouldn't have the difficulty differentiating the currants over here in Australia as we call the dried grape currants simply "currants" whereas the berries are called redcurrants or blackcurrants, depending on the colour, of course. Redcurrants and blackcurrants are used primarily in jams here, although black currant is a popular flavour in cordials, usually mixed with apple nowadays and, of course, you have the iconic Ribena. I sometimes use redcurrant jam as an ingredient in marinades for kangaroo meat as the fruity flavour pairs really well with red game meat.
Great episode Max. I stumbled over your channel a few months ago and have completely enjoyed every episode. I love your humor and the history you provide is wonderful. I look forward to more episodes.
Thank you! I love to learn and I've learned something new about currents today!! I grew up with both currents and Concord grapes in the back yard and never understood why anyone would think a raisin is a current or vice versa etc I just figured people didn't know what real currents are lol
Interesting thing about the whole elbows on the table thing. It prompted an interesting moment of discussion when myself, my parents and my grandfather were at the table. My brother and I had no issue with elbows on the table - after food was served that is. But we retained, very firmly, the notion of placing ones knife and fork together to denote that you have finished eating. My father pointed out how all three generations had ever so slightly different table manners, and how it was curious which ones each successive generation decided was "Important", and which ones were not. When it reality all manners - though nevertheless a sincere expression of respect and courtesy - are fairly arbitrary. Curiously, from speaking with colleagues from different parts of the world, I have noted a fairly significant difference in voicing disagreement with ones elders, or contradicting someone at the dinnertable. Saying "No, I don't think thats right..." Would for some generations of some demographics be a huge breach of manners. Its very interesting. The desire to be respectful and courteous is fairly common across most demographics. But its interesting how different times and places express that respect.
Love this channel. Both of my adult sons are history buffs. When they were children many outings and activities were history based. Now this gives us ideas to continue history based fun together.
If you've ever had a roast beef and chutney sandwich it probably resembles the flavour profile this dish. Fruit chutney is an English condiment standardised from Indian chutneys that is heavily vinegar, sugar, and raisin unfused. Delicious, also!
I enjoyed this episode so very much!! You were so funny talking about your childhood visit at the etiquette class and "you know who you are". Definitely an episode to listen to again!
Check out these other interesting Medieval recipes:
Medieval Tournaments: th-cam.com/video/wxypUB5K0KE/w-d-xo.html
Peasant Food: th-cam.com/video/zKa5GRu4LwE/w-d-xo.html
Medieval Outlaws: th-cam.com/video/IfcQcAPt5vk/w-d-xo.html
Medieval Saint Diet: th-cam.com/video/jBRVvMm3xv0/w-d-xo.html
Medieval Monks: th-cam.com/video/zz0y1d6IIpY/w-d-xo.html
Poor letter "y"! That's it! Y'm gonna bryng it back into modern Inglysh, but the Old Inglysh way, cause I lyketh it much and it makef more fenfe!
We SHOULD hold women to a higher standard bud, it ain’t a “double standard” try to free yourself of this liberal fucking poison 🤦♂️
Lindemans black currant lambic is one of the best summer time beers on the face of the planet
Came here from the Bokenade ("What it was like to visit a Medieval Tavern"). Now subscribed. Great vids!
You HAVE to do a video on suckling pig…. Historical food, I think of suckling pig, King Arthur & knights of the Round table style. Suckling pig is the poster child of historical food.
“‘Til it be enough” and “Serve it forth” have now become my favorite recipe directions.
Til it be enough is the old timey version of measure with your heart
"a pinch" "a good measure" "to taste" ect.
Many folks writing down recipees tend towards non-scientific descripors.
"thou are done for"
I've an old recipe that gives the time you need to cook it in how long you'd need to walk around a standard, one family farm, field for a certain amount of times. Love that too.
Although a tiny problem was, that the standard size wasn't that much of a staniat all. A couple of villages over it could be twice/half the size.
So, after all you still just have to use common sense. xD
It was always seasoning with feeling 🫡
My English grandmother was a stickler about elbows on the table. If one of the grandchildren allowed an errant elbow to seek refuge on the table she would declare solemnly while brandishing a carving knife, “all joints on the table shall be carved!” I’m 52 now and whenever I see someone with “errant elbows” I can still hear her voice in my head 😂
I'm from India, and funnily enough my mother does this too, no elbows on the table allowed. It's amazing how different cultures developed pretty much similar habits despite never having met each other.
Same thing in Italy, awesome how culture can connect us all
Shows that in every culture people have been struggling for space at the dinner table
When a youtube comment is writen like a clasic literature
Elbows on the table doesn't really matter. Teach your kids to enjoy the food in their head rather than out loud and not make their eating messy or audible, and to chew with their mouths closed. That's probably good enough to keep most guests happy.
"Be silent. For it is a better gift than flowers."
I need to remember that quote for the next time I have a holiday dinner with my family.
Yes, it needs to be cross stitched on a pillow somewhere.
Tell that to your crazy uncle Louis, the same one who has an issue with the belching and farting prohibition. ;)
This is an ‘all occasions’ sentiment. Useful in so many situations.
"In lieu of flowers, please shut up."
I'd love to be a fly on the wall.......although I might be squashed in the turmoil 🪰
Thank you for addressing the fact that etiquette and manners WERE a thing in the Middle Ages. When reading things from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the impression I get is that manners were much more important to them than they are to us today.
When I was a child it went like this,
1. No elbows on the table
2. No talking and chewing at the same time
3. No scraping your plate using cutlery
4. If you want to leave the table excuse yourself
5. Use the butter knife not your small knife
6. Close your mouth when chewing
No doubt there are others that I have forgotten!
@@brianmays4366 That's gorgeous. It seems that you were raised better than I was.
@@mmneander1316 just strict parents!
@@brianmays4366 I see. "Rules" do not always imply "good", you mean. You have a point. However, I do not think the converse (absence of all rules or etiquette means "good") is true either. So the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle, I suppose. I'd posit that the trick is to have rules, but not for their own sake and only in so much as they help further harmony in human relationships. I.e. the spirit behind the rules is the important thing.
@Hattie Lankford Thank you for that remark. I am currently sort of constructing my own version of Christianity. In which the focus is on the *Message* of Jesus, not on questions like whether Jesus is God.
Fun fact: In German the dried grape variety of a currant is called a "Korinthe", which comes from the name of the city, but the currant berry is called "Johannisbeere", which comes from John the Baptist. His holy name day is on the 24th of June, which is when currants are starting to get ripe for picking in Germany.
Wieder was gelernt! Bei uns heißen die roten Ribisel, und nur die "schwarzen Johannisbeeren" wirklich Johannisbeeren.
Da mußte ich so alt werden um mitzukriegen dass man in Deutschland auch Ribisel Johannisbeeren nennt!
That is a fun fact! Thank you for sharing.
That is interesting thank you for sharing
Is he the guy Johannesburg is named after?
@@nirfz 🇦🇹
I'm gonna be a suck ass here. I remember when you were so "tense" about giving up the Disney gig and going all in with this. and NOW look at the result. 1.3 MILLION subscribers and growing. Fantastic job Max.. Glad its paying the rent and you ENJOY doing it. Keep that perfect hair coiffed!!
He came from Disney? I had no idea
@@remen_emperor He mentioned it in [can't remember which] video, so hardly some rumor/ big secret. Just one of those cases of "oh, I must have missed that episode."
is that a donnie darko reference? lol When Samantha Darko (Daveigh Chase) said that I busted up laughing.
@@random_an0n ya'll wanna be victims sooooo badly. Snowflakes.
@@grilledcheese9845 Check yourself.
fun fact:
in German there's saying that says "den Löffel abgeben", which translates to "to pass on the spoon". It means basically "to die".
and it comes from mideaval times when spoons were so valuable that they were heirlooms.
But be careful when saying that someone passed the spoon, it is not really a nice way of breaking the news. it's more like "someone bites the dust"
das ist völliger blödsinn, sry.
@@broyhan ist es nicht.
Another one passes on the spoon, another one passes on the spoon, and another one gone and another one gone; another one passes on the spoon.
A far superior song indeed xD
@@broyhan Funny, when i look this shit up i find lots of sources talkin about the concept of "passin ones spoon" as a euphemism for death in German. You got some evidence to back up your claims of it bein utter nonsense?
Seems apocryphal, wood wasn't hard to aquire and literally anyone can whittle a wooden spoon, shouldn't have been that rare.
I love the phrase "'till it be enough". I need to start using it in everyday life
"How much parmesan would you like on your dish?"
"Till it be enough."
I shall use that phrase till it be enough.
Three old long gone ladies from Virginia reminded me last century that "Enough is as good as a feast." It's always stayed with me. For I found it to be true.
General comment: The show’s creator/host has the inquisitiveness of a 5-year old (that’s a good thing) and the articulation of a writer/producer who really has the chops. Kudos!
He is pretty much perfect at what he does.😊❤
Man, that "turn around discretely and throw it somewhere" made me throw my head back and laugh hahaha. Just imagine watching someone try to get away with that at your dinner table 😁
I'm surprised he didn't mention about throwing the food to the dogs instead of a corner.
to be fair, there were dogs for that
Yeah lol. It reminded me of how I used to try and hide food I didn't want to swallow. I didn't throw it across the room but discreetly spat it into a tissue or gave it to the dog who was close by.
Throwing it across the room is hillarious 😂 .
I can't believe how fast you're growing. I remember the first few videos. Seriously becoming a part of my weekly must watch videos. So proud :)
Thank you sugah
yeah that’s crazy i didn’t even realise he hit a million subs
He was quickly growing a long time ago. You're late to the early! Oh God get the ribs going
I don't even cook very often and probably will never make anything he makes but I love this show!
Woah a million already?! Congrats
This was a fascinating episode. Would love to see more like it: manners in Ancient Greece, Rome, Mesopotamia, Iran, China.
Damn... Couldn't imagine what kind of etiquette there would have been in Mesopotamia! Would be fascinating.
Table manners in most Asian countries couldn't be more different than Western Europe. The British I'm sure were appalled that slurping and burping were considered perfectly normal at the dinner table in most of India.
Louis XIV's Versaiiles
@AxelQC OMG that episode would be amazing but crazy long... I'm not very familiar with its intricacies, but courtly manners at Versailles were EPIC. When you entered a room, you had to walk into it in a certain way, while acknowledging certain people and greeting the social seniors with deference, all while saluting the host. And Heaven forbid you accidentally turn your back on the wrong person! Oy vey.
Oh, I would love to see something like this! I'm very interested in how different cultures did things, mostly for worldbuilding reasons but also because I love learning about anything and everything haha.
Food is such an important link to the past, it can tell us so much about the life of the people that came before us, stuff you'd never learn in a history book. Thanks for all your hard work in bringing this information to so many people. You're a favorite in our house, we never miss a video. Keep up the great work!
Thank you! Glad that the whole household can watch.
That's how history in school should look like - merged with a dinner! I would be the best historian in this scenario. Also the fattest one :P))
@@lootownica
History is a subject that should be combined with other subjects _far_ more often than it is. History and language/literature? Always a relevant combo! History and maths? Might be harder, but I think the text problems would be far more interesting if they took inspiration from real-world situations. (And not just “Sally bought 280 bananas” or “Mattias needs 88 hammers,” because while those are real scenarios, they really need more context if you don’t want the kids to go “nobody does that.”)
I concur, growing up, conversation around the daily table was usually just how was your day, etc. But during holidays and reunions when the extended family got together, it became a time of remember when, and stories and history from the family were trotted out for those that weren't around to remember it. In this way, we still have stories of our great-great-grandparents that have been dead close to a century (or more in one case). Too often that kind of conversation is lost today.
@@ragnkja We often hold dinners from different periods in history, adopting the dress and character of a person from that time. We even incorporate some party games of the period, and thoroughly enjoy ourselves discussing politics and people of the time as if they are current. We have ranged from Ancient Greece to the gilded age, and covered many countries.🖤🇨🇦
As a non-native English speaker I love when the medieval English is read phonetically. At first you look at it and have no idea what it means untill you try to read it loud and listen to yourself. Suddenly everything becomes clear. Did that with Cantenbury Tales a bit. Lots of fun! To some extent it was even easier to read and understand than the modern English translation, since some of the words were phonetically much closer to their counterparts in other European languages. :D
Absolutely 💯 %
My father always told me that the elbows on the table thing came from sailors. Because out at sea in order to keep their food from going everywhere they'd place their plate between their elbows to stop it from sliding around. And sailors were often seen as rough and unrefined and carried these habits with them when not on a ship
Came here to post the same thing.
I used to be a sailor, and I point out that I am allowed to have my elbows on the table as a result.
I wish I had known this when on my Navy ship. The little Frigates really tended to rock&roll! 😅
My grandpa said that too, and he'd tell us to not put our elbows on the table because roving bands of pirates would see us using our elbows and "know" we'd been at sea before and would steal us for free labor 😂
Life hack for dealing with silver skin (i.e. the membrane on the back of a rack of ribs): work up a corner of the membrane with a paring knife (just enough to grab onto), and use a paper towel to hold the skin while you pull it away from the meat. Also works great on pork ribs.
I never knew you were suppose to remove that silver skin. This recipe looks so delicious! Another great recipe ☺️
Learned this tip from Alton Brown many years ago. =)
Huh. I mean, I just kind of like to chew on the silver, but that's my damage.🤷♂
@@StrangeCreed You have far better teeth than I. 🦷
@@cogspace Alton has taught me so much about food and cooking.
Could you imagine a collaboration between Max and Alton?
I'd be afraid TH-cam would implode from the awesomeness 😅
The “elbows on table” rule was to be considerate with table space as most eating arrangements were particularly close together. Putting your elbows on the table was annoying to those around
It also varies by country.
It still is often annoying. It also gave the impression that one was guarding his plate from the other diners in a gluttonous manner.🖤🇨🇦
It is also probably worth mentioning that it effects your posture, something that you had to have a lot of in that time. Elbows on tables shows you're quite a slouched individual who does not take what he does seriously, and is therefore of no importance to anyone above you as you prove to be a lowly peon brought in by someone's good will (which will be tarnished for such piggish behaviour on your part)
It disappeared from etiquette in Britain through most of the regency period until the rise of the middle classes, who embraced it. This was probably to do with the expense of nice clothes and the possibility of wear at the elbows.
Ohh interesting. In my country meals are more of a social activity (often times we spend a few more hours chatting after finishing the actual meal) and even though putting your elbows on the table Is not expected, doing the opposite almost makes it seem like the person isn't engaged/interested in the conversation/people around them and can be seen as rude-ish
Thanks for this wonderful glimpse into medieval times.
Thank you for watching it!
Great channel for Culinary history buffs and foodies. Now every time I make dinner, I imagine Max telling me to cook it "Until it be ready" and then "Serve it Forth.."
Just wait until you bedight your most festive dishes!
@@AshesAshes44I've been saying bedight!
"Do not be afraid of vomiting" will be on my next birthday dinner invitations. A true medieval feast indeed!
I had to drop everything and laugh my ass off when you said this, you'd think it'd be something to expect when just before you were talking about no farting at the table. Love your videos.
Oh my goodness yes! I had tears in my eyes. 🤣🤣🤣
The thing about the hand washing and the bringing out of basins reminds me of the Passover seder. In addition to the reading of the hagaddah, reclining to the left, and drinking four cups of wine, we also have to ritually wash our hands several times. Growing up it was the children's job to bring a basin and a cup around the table for everyone to wash with.
My mother's side of the family is almost entirely Russian, and we know of ancestors going back centuries. There's a story (which was probably embellished over generations, but this is the version I heard from my grandmother) about one ancestor, a general, being invited to dine with the tsar. He was fairly well-off, but not off the same social class as the tsar, so he was freaking out about how to present himself. Ultimately, he simply decided to copy what the tsar and other nobles did.
Fast-forward to the dinner, and all was going well. After people were finished eating, a water bowl was passed around (starting with the tsar, of course). Everyone washed their fingers in it, including the general, who then passed it to the man next to him. This man was an excellent soldier, but came from poor, "uncouth" origins, and apparently hadn't been paying attention at all. He took the bowl of hand-water, raised it to his lips, and drank it all in one go. The tsar was supposedly unfazed, but I can't help but wonder what might've happened to that man after the dinner...
EDIT: Apparently this is a popular yarn to tell with all sorts of settings and characters, and I never even knew! At least I can confirm that my ancestor was real. My great-grandmother had an old photo of him, and presumably my grandmother got it after she passed.
Fascinating anecdote. It kind of reminds me of a Russian-Swedish film 'The Sovereign's Servant'. There is a scene after the battle of Poltava where Peter the Great and his generals are entertaining the officers of the captured Swedish officers (as was the custom in those days). Among the Swedes is a French nobleman - an observer sent by Louis XIV - who makes disparaging remarks about the behavior of some of the Russians as being 'like peasants'.
Peter's response is to shrug and state that as they ARE peasants then it's perfectly fine for them to amuse themselves like peasants.
Makes me think that some Tsars were not as 'up themselves' as their detractors like to claim.
Gross!
@@richardarcher7177
My impression is that it was mostly those who weren’t quite at the top of the social hierarchy who were the sticklers, and that those who practically only ever interacted with social inferiors could be far more blasé.
Very interesting story! My mother's side is completely from the former Soviet Union so our stories go only as far back as maybe a couple generations before the revolution. One of my favorite stories is during the Civil War. When the red army won, they were sending messengers to different territories belonging to Russia, one being then Turkistan. My great great grandfather was a member of the Tekke tribe in modern day Turkmenistan. There, wealth was measured in how many sheep you had, and my great great grandfather had the most in the village. A week before the red army came to his village a messenger came warning the people that their wealth would be taken and the rich might even be killed. So in order to protect himself he slaughtered all his sheep and held a week long barbecue. When the red army arrived he had nothing
the tsar's finger bathwater 😋
I never realized how many table manners my grandmother and mother taught me until I grew up and started eating with either random people or more diverse friends. So many of these manners seem to have their origins in the Middle Ages, it's really interesting. They never just sat me down and said, "Now you're going to learn table manners." because I would have surely revolted. It was a long, gradual process over my entire childhood and they're so ingrained in me now, I never even thought about them until I started having to teach my own children how to behave at the table.
Wait… You didn’t have someone sit you down and say this is the day you were learning table manners? Oh… Crap… I think we had two very different childhood. Being blind, my parents didn’t bother, they tried once, to teach me how to hold a fork. They then gave up when “hold it like a pencil! No, not like that! Do you know how to hold a pencil? “Didn’t go anywhere. Eventually, at age 9, my braille teacher got set up with hearing complaints about my atrocious table, manners, and sat me down and explained to me that table manners were extremely important. She finally said to me listen, this is the day you are going to learn table manners. If you do not start using them, we will send you to the office. To me, that was a fate worse than death. Lol!
@@SarafinaSummers😂😂😂
The rule about not peering into your hankerchief after wiping or blowing your nose as if expecting pearls or rubies to appear is probably the only thing I remember reading from my middle school history textbook as I was reading ahead into a part not covered by the teacher and it struck my immature self as so funny that I never forgot it. Thank you for reminding me of that moment of 30ish years ago. 😂
I just let out a very loud what the fuck and burst out laughing! OMG!
The irony is that modern health professionals have been saying that we SHOULD be doing exactly that -- assuming that we have a proper handkerchief or facial tissue handy, inspecting your sputum (what you've just sneezed out) will let you know how ill or how well-recovered your health is -- especially as there's the possibility of bloody discharge in extreme cases.
19:30 Don't talk with food in your mouth, we just went over this 😂
Fantastic video, thanks for the watch! Going to give this recipe a try at the start of our next DnD campaign!
The Miss Manners place Max mentions reminds me of a tea room a couple doors down from where I take krav maga lessons. Just interesting that kids are having tea parties and being taught etiquette while I try not to get hit in the groin a few walls away.
Didn't Red Letter Media watch a Miss Manners type video in one of their black spine episodes?
If you would learn judo or karate instead, at least you have to bow before and after...
@@evelinharmannfan7191 😂😂😂
I remember a line from a story about Medieval Marriages: "The wet hand doeth not belongeth into the salt bowle, nor the greasy hand into the woman's bosom necklyne." Something we definetly should bring back.
But the ribs look supertasty, and definetly something I might give a try.
This has never stopped being good advice. Wash your hands after the buffet and before the champagne room at the club.
So i should use the wet hand on her bosom amd the greasy hand for the salt?
I'll try to remember that.
Nope, my greasy hands are going to be all over that bosom.
That is a surprisingly valid analogy.
Nah I use extra grease when I enter their bosom
“like a velociraptor…” ah yes, this is the only approved manner when dining on ribs in my household. 😂
My friends and I run with the idea that you haven't eaten ribs until you have used Q-Tips to clean the BBQ sauce out of your ears.
mmmmmmmmmmmmm ribs....
@@michaelmacdonald334 LOL!!!
As a history major, I so so so so love what you do. This just makes ALL of me so happy. I love to cook, and this is so awesome to learn.
Love your history lesson.
I'm 79 this month and learnt this manners Poem in 5 th grade.
If you must speak,
Before you speak,
5 Things observe with care.
Of whom you speak,
To whom you speak,
And how and when and where.
It's a good rule to live by, it saves one from getting embroiled in gossip.
Max you are incredible. My wife and i watch your videos with our son. It's done wonders to help our son learn about cooking AND history, two things he absolutely loves.
Your smile is contagious and we all hope you know just how amazing you are. Keep up the wonderful work.
"I'm so glad that all of those issues have been completely banished from today's society, right?" Welp, I just nearly snorted iced tea all over my keyboard right there. 😂 Thanks, Max! As always, you are a treasure.
"You should smile more often!"
@@snarkamedes "If I wanted my face stuck in a permanent rictus of unfelt glee, I'd move to Gotham City and set up practice as The Joker." 😁
@@EvieDelacourt I'm going to say that the next time I'm told to smile - thank you!
@@loriki8766 😂
@@snarkamedes I'm a guy and I've heard that many times from women.
One of my bugbears is: "during the mediaeval period, they did [this]", like what century? what country? I'm so glad you touched on this in your video!
Why? You mean there were differences betweeen 7th century Scotland and 15th century Venice or 11th century Spain? If Hollywood has taught me one thing about the mediaval period then it is the fact that all people were covered in mud, ate stale gruel und would never wash and for some reason it was rainy and cloudy for 99% of the time.
@@michaelkores6860 lol, true
Modern movies about the medieval times are so dark and gray. Old medieval movies from around the 50s and 60s were so colorful, beautiful and realistic when it comes to the aesthetics of the time.
@@Augusto9588 What bugs me the most is that the majority of people believe the stupid ahistorical bullshit that is presented in most movies, books and video games.
@@Augusto9588 They always show the castles today as grey and dungeonesque. That's how they look today because they have aged. When they were built they would have been whitewashed and painted with all sorts of colors and motifs and plastered with tapestries.
@@Augusto9588 Yeah, but no body sang. Face stuffing was serious business to beat the flies.
Never watched your channel before, but that rack of ribs caught my eye. I'm a recently retired Science teacher, but I've always had a strong interest in the daily life of the Medieval and Renaissance periods, specifically their tools, utensils, manufacturing methods, etc. Seeing someone recreate their cuisine is fascinating. As Ahhh-nold said, "Owl be back!"
Middle school science teacher here and I have always had the same interest (although not as much after mid-15th cent). Monarchies and politics interest me less than the cultures and the way everything was accomplished in life. Culinary history is a huge aspect of that: what did they eat, when did they eat, how did they eat, what did they use to eat, what did they use to cook, etc.
Maybe there's a connection between science and this interest.
i love this episode , as someone who actually was a member of the SCA and has been to several medieval feasts i can state everything you stated is true. i miss it sometimes.
The Society of Creative Anachronism is such a great organization! I learned how to make basic chain mail at one of their presentations a couple of decades ago. I think of that lesson every time I see chain mail.
Oh my gosh, the images in this one are spot on. Medieval artists were amazing
But I wanna know what's up with wiping that baby's behind at what looks like a party.
@@YDV669 Hopefully that was an example of What NOT To Do. 😅
Yes, some of them had a keen eye and a hearty sense of humour
The return of the “no elbows on the table” rule in the Victorian period, when etiquette manuals were mostly sold to the middle classes, was explained in at least one such manual I’ve seen as being about wearing out your elbows would give away that you had a limited supply of nice shirts.
Given that tight neckties were essentially instituted in some British banks to force you to prove you could afford the laundry bills they caused by mucking up your collars and thus proving you were sensible with money, I can totally believe it.
This is one of the very few comment sections I read on TH-cam, and I'm always pleasantly surprised by the unexpected bits of history I learn of and then end up researching after a video. That was very interesting, thanks for sharing!
@@Kiayin7 no problem. Incidentally, the immediate solution was to sell detachable collars, which being far cheaper to buy than shirts, allowed the whole lot to be washed at once.
@Mulletmanalive - The elbows and shirt reason is the first explanation I've heard that makes sense as in 'practical sense' or a good enough personal reason to follow.
But, weren't collars and cuffs removable for easy laundering? A man might only have one shirt, but several cuffs and collars.
Which is interesting because it's an "old money" thing to wear out your clothes and endlessly mend them over the years. Students at elite British schools would rub their shirt collars with sandpaper to give them an "aristocratic" look.
Damn, now I REALLY want to know what happened at Miss Manners that was so horrible!
Someday, the story will be told.
@@TastingHistory how many subscribers will it take? 👀 Also, love your work. Been going on a binge of it all 💕
@@TastingHistory FIRST RULE OF MISS MANNERS! YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS AT MISS MANNERS'S!
@@singletona082 Well played.
@@singletona082 PECKING ORDER!
it goes: you
The dirt
The worms inside the dirt
Kami
Then Miss Manners
One of your best yet! I had no idea the manners were such a big deal back then. I can't wait to make those ribs. My wife and I were drooling when we saw the finished meal. Thank you for the multitude of laughs also!
Hey Max. We made the roasted beef ribs tonight for dinner over pumpkin mash. We added dried cherries to the recipe. We all loved it and would make again
Oh my word! YES! That line about peering into the hankie!!! Oh my word! That needs to be highlighted and repeated in every modern book of manners! My heavens, Sir Max, you are a genius! Delightful lecture, this! Thank you!!
I have an apocryphal story about that .My first date was studying law and was required to attend the local court as an observer.
One case was someone busted for possessing a small piece of cannabis resin. Which the prosecution claimed was secreted in a handkerchief A witness was asked what had passed and had the defendant showed him his handkerchief. He said Yes. 'And what did you see in said handkerchief?' 'Snot'
The judge was old, deaf and doddery so he asked what the witness had said The Learned gentleman 'had to say 'He said Snot my Lord' 'Snot?' Yes. Snot' By which time the law students were under the benches with their Own handkerchiefs stuffed in their mouths to stop them being ejected for Contempt of Court Date said it was better than Monty Python. The pothead got off.
I never considered his videos to be a lecture, but it's accurate! I'd say I wish my history teacher was like Max, but he's pretty enthusiastic too so I can't complain too much. But dear god do I not care about the Spanish-American war 😂
I kind of have to look if I'm particularly congested. The colour tells me the difference between whether it's just my allergies being extra annoying and I can carry on with my day or if I'm actually sick and should go rest.
Congrats on your book becoming a bestseller on Amazon in like less than 24 hours! Can't wait to get my hands on it, as I always love your videos, I know it'll be great.
Thank you! It was definitely an exciting day.
I'll be ordering that cookbook, then finding every episode on Tasting History and watching them while I'm cooking!
what's the story behind that huge gap between 'your' and 'videos'? lol
My favorite part about old recipes is they’ll always say “til it be enough” or something along the lines of that because it’s like “eye ball it lmao”
My southern friend taught me "tillit" cooking... till it's enough! Lol 💜👾
A lot of cooking is still 'eyeball' - just learn what it should look or taste like and, then, use all your senses to get the desired results. I rarely measure my herbs and spices. Only, when its a new recipe and I want a baseline experience or an Indian recipe (which are scary to cook and usually need a lot of special, expensive spices)
That instruction is perfectly adequate for an experienced cook.
I mean, they didn't have Timers or accurate Thermometers so "Cook it til it's done" is about as close an instruction as they can get I suppose.
@@jonjohns8145 And there weren't standard weights and measures either.
At least in my house, growing up, we were taught the reason you don't rest your elbows on the table is
1. you take up unnecessary space.
2. you might push something over.
3. it makes you slouch, or otherwise adopt bad posture
4. leaning forward on the table is an aggressive posture unwelcome at the table, and most unfitting of a well-brought-up child
5. at my house our kitchen table was round, so if you leaned forward to rest on your elbows, your head would block the view between two or more people who were often trying to have a conversation.
Same
A currant can also be a service berry (in Dutch those are called krenten) those bushes are all over europe and are often used in cooking. Now they are often replaced with raisins or dried grapes, but older recipes use krenten or service berries a lot.
It reminds me of the middle-eastern style dishes I sometimes make - lamb stew with dried sour cherries plus sweet spices - I'll also add a single dried pepper, which adds a background heat. I serve it with couscous.
Would love a recipe!
@@kimquinn7728 I'm not really a recipe person and this isn't a great place for normal format.
1lb lamb stew
1 lb carrots, peeled in 1" chunks
2 sweet potatoes, peeled in 1" chunks
1 spanish onion, in large chunks
oil
1 dried Mexican pepper pod
Here's where measurements fail me
1 pinch cinnamon
1 pinch cumin
couple bay leaves
handful each dried cherries (or cranberries) and slivered almonds (toast the almonds)
1 tbls balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Oven at 300F
In large oven proof pot with lid, brown the lamb in the oil. Remove and saute the onions until translucent. Add back in all the ingredients except the salt and pepper, plus about two cups liquid (water, stock, white wine) Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.
Cover and place in oven for at least two hours. Correct seasons before serving. I rarely add salt because I use kosher lamb, and that's salty, but pepper is always good. Serve over standard or whole wheat couscous.
@@mamadeb1963 Its a perfect recipe and I have all ingredients except the cherries which I will purchase. Cooking is like alchemy. Thank you for sharing! I love lamb. It will be delicious.
I would not be surprised if it is related since recepies came from the east with the spices and the tales of those who survived the crusades
@@alexapostolides I agree. The world was a far more connected place than we think it was. And that it survives as barbecue today makes sense to me, too.
This looks like something my Hungarian mother in law cooks for me when ever I visit and it is delicious.
I remember reading some of the Medieval courtesy books in college including the Book of the Courtier (Castiglione) and Erasmus. I recall rules in them about not poking your fingers in the eggs as well as not spitting over the table. Good advise...still stands today!
My favorite part of Der Wälsche Gast (which I also read in college) is when he advises young squires to never stand on a bench that a knight is sitting on
Loving your channel, Max. Also the rules in some parts of europe (Spain for instance) of not putting your hands in your lap or under the table during meals, to show there are no concealed weapons.
it's so interesting seeing the origins of so many table manners/rules i was forced into by my grandma. my grandma was a traditional southern lady and she told me to never speak unless spoken to at the dinner table, don't blurt out talking or burst out laughing, don't interrupt ppl, no elbows on tables, chew with mouth closed, no burping/farting, and if i didn't do any of that - WOODEN SPOON!! let me tell you that wooden spoon hurt almost worse than any belt whoopin i ever had! it's interesting to see that certain things that i thought were ridiculous (like no elbows on table) actually have legit reasons in their origins.
also, you pictured some of my fave movies in here! gone with the wind, jurassic park, and a couple others. (also yes i know gwtw is problematic but i do still enjoy parts of it, it's a childhood favorite)
This is the second time I have came across the phrase "Do not stare into your handkerchief as if pearls and rubies fell out of your head". We had a medieval feast in the 5th grade, and that textbook line always stuck with me. I made sauerbraten, no idea how authentic it was, but I remember it tasted wonderful, and everyone loved it!
Very impressive!
Cool
I love your telling of the history of the name of Currents. Etymology is something I really nerd about, it's fascinating seeing how the word for a thing got to be that way!
I went to etiquette school too! The only rule that really stuck with me (because I thought it was weird) was that the "most polite" time to invite someone over for tea was 4 pm.
Anyway, the most polite way to eat a rack of ribs is ravenously. To do otherwise is an insult to the cook.
That looked really good👍. This reminds me that it was my older sister that taught me manners and not put my elbows on the table. She is 10 years older and she went to secretarial college and it included going to a "school of grace". I don't think there is such a thing anymore.
Sadly i highly doubt that :)
Easier in Swedish: The berry is called "Vinbär" - "Wine-berries", so a completely different from Korinter, aka Raisins of Korinth. (The confusion for us is rather what the heck the difference is between raisins and korinter, since most people in Sweden mean the same thing, tho the only real difference is that korinter apparently is sweeter if they indeed are made from the authentic grape).
And how does Sweden feel about Sultanas?
Also they are way better fresh or in yam than dried 😁
@@nathanpont3831 If we need to point it out, I think they would be called "sultanrussin" or "sultanarussin" ("Russin" = raisins in Swedish. Same word for singular and plural.) in the ingredients. But then probably just called "russin" in the rest of the recipe if you don't have to differentiate.
And I guess our feelings for the sultana isn't as high as others are. I see a lot less of them in local recipes than for example English ones. Maybe they are more common here now with the rapidly increasing influx of food influences, but I can't recall ever even heard about them 30 years ago.
For me it's just a yellow raisin.
@@donkfail1 Yeah that's basically it: Sultanrussin is just not a thing, other than if you specifically want raisins made of green grapes.
@@mammamiia08 Yeah why anyone would dry Vinbär is a mystery. Jelly, Jam or as a drink it is. :P
Fun fact: (true) currents are called vinbär (lit. "wine-berries") in Swedish, causing confusion with grapes but in a somewhat different way (especially since their use for wine is relatively rare save for the occasional blackcurrent wine).
Danish : the small raisins 'korender' (=korinth), redcurrants ='ribs' (=ribes)
In Norwegian, redcurrants are “rips” or sometimes “rødrips” to distinguish them from the white cultivar, called “hvitrips/kvitrips”, and blackcurrants are “solbær”, which literally means “sunberries”.
Vinbär is funny to me, because the dutch is Aalbessen, Aal nowadays means eel but the time the berries were named, it used to mean ale (öl/øl)
I don't think people are very confused with vinbär (currents) and vindruvor (grapes) tho? Or at least those who know the language.
@@amsteensberg1653 "little raisins"... yep, to me, currants are very small, and very dry raisins, so that makes sense... 😏
Your channel is absolutely amazing! Food + history, what is there not to love?
Thank you ☺️
I am really enjoying your videos, this history is so amazing and such a variety. While watching this episode at 12:52 about table manners, there are some things just not done.... Eating with one elbow on the table, coming to the table as a man and shirtless or in a "tank top", respecting that older people get served first, kids sit in a different area from adults. Table manners vary by culture, those above are what I grew up with in the 70s and before. A famous quote from my Grand-dad, "..as a kid I could not figure out how they caught this chicken. When us kids came to fix our plates, there was only legs and wings. I'm thinking, this must be a really fast chicken...how did they catch him?" I always associate this with table manners because we are loosing these memories.
😂😂😂😂😂😂that one quote is my absolute favorite!!! If you do blow your nose into a handkerchief. One must not gaze upon it as if pearls and rubies have fallen out of one’s head! Hahahahahah that is the funniest thing I’ve heard in a long time!
"as if pearls and rubies might have fallen out of your head"
Thanks for including this! I heard it a long time ago and was starting to wonder if I made it up, haha
I remember this from my Jr high history textbook. Maybe you had the same one.
When I was a kid tending current bushes was one of my favorite pass-times. When I was 10 or so my mother ordered me a few bushes of my own (my grandmother had a couple bushes on the farm before that) and I planted and tended to them until I left for college. They make wonderful jelly as well...
redcurrant cake is a specialty in austria! its delicious.
I was surprised that some people would find the term “currant” in a recipe confusing. I always assume it means dried, as where I live you can’t buy fresh currants in stores, and only occasionally find them in gardens. I have tried red and white currants as our neighbour grew them, sadly I’ve never been able to try fresh blackcurrant.
I used to sit under our current bushes and strip them from the stem with my teeth. Delicious.
Picking redcurrants and blackcurrants in the garden was my job as a kid. My mother made excellent jelly. Redcurrant jelly is lovely with roast lamb.
Another reason for the "no elbows on tables" rule (excluding the classist attitudes towards sailors, prisoners, or just the working class in general who put their elbows on the table for a variety of practical reasons such as preventing your plate from slipping off the table in a ship or guarding your food with your arms as you ate it) is that elbows on table give an aura of being domineering or aggressive. When someone is hunched over and using their arms to actively spread their body to take up the personal space of those next to them, it's a body language signal that they're on edge and they don't trust those around them. Which contradicts the ethos of table manners that you should conduct yourself in a way that displays calmness, openness, and just generally being non-disruptive.
I was always told it was post war prudence in the UK to prevent wear on the sleeves on clothing as it was expensive to get new clothes
@@dumbbellenjoyer Looks like every generation could have their own take on the reasons for old rules. My favorite though, is Max's, about not wanting to flip the entire table over. If the rules were made because something was an issue, I think this would be a fairly amusing (unless one were the perpetrator) scene!
Thank you for distinguishing between _sailors_ and _prisoners._ Too often that line gets overlooked.
As kids in the 50's& 60's, we were taught table manners when visiting relatives. It always made me uncomfortable not being able to put my elbows on the table, since we did that at home most of the time.
@glennash4606 Way before that. My Uncle who was born in 1914 talked about learning this when he was a child.
Loved the wee side-lecture on the various types of currants! 🥰 I'm so fascinated by the way names of things change over time, as well as the mystery-solving involved in figuring out the ingredients of historical recipes? Max's consistent effort in careful research is one of the things I appreciate most about his channel!
13:05 🤣 I was bracing myself for it. My Scottish grandmother says "All joints on the table shall be carved" 😂 I'm pretty good with etiquette but this one catches me occasionally 😂
Max's magnificient matriculation of medieval manners is masterful and majestic!
I've read a depiction of one medieval feast. Young knight wanting to appear very well-behaved to his beloved, instead of sitting and eating with the rest of guests, he stood behind her seat, changed her plates, poured wine etc. For the whole feast. Now that's both manners AND dedication.
He took the role normally given to a servant, by waiting upon his lady himself! That is a lovely devotional gesture.
SIMP
jk that's very sweet
@@myheartismadeofstars ye olde simpe
Quite different from a baron serving Louis ix that, according to Jean de Joinville, built a miniature catapult and would use it to break the glasses of the other guests during the feasts.
@@leonardoferrari4852 Like a boss
New sub here, I binge-watching all your videos and I enjoyed the old recipes and learning about historical food! Keep up more videos on historical foods.
Thank you! And I apologize for the lighting in some of those early videos 😂
Ha! Usually I watch your vids and just get hungry... this time, I'm making dinner - crushed cracker crumbs/potato chips and pecans crusted egg-dipped Iowa Chops - browned in peanut oil and baked covered in the oven for 1 hour - then uncovered at 350 for 115 minutes to crisp up. While that's cooking, my red and green cabbage is cooking - German style - with sauteed onions, bacon with a little sugar, apple sauce and apple cider vinegar - spices are a little ground clove, salt, pepper, garlic powder and thyme. Fry the bacon, remove and sautee the onion and then add the cut red and green cabbage and other ingredients with the addition of some beef broth. Very similar to what you showed in another vid... actually. Good stuff. Keep these coming.
5:56 This one made me laugh - that's a much more alcoholic version of what we were taught to take as a host/ess gift, which was flowers, chocolates or home baking! 😆
The one about blowing your nose and then opening the handkerchief to look at it reminds me of a Red Dwarf episode where Kryten berates Lister for doing this very thing. "What do you expect to see in there? A Turner seascape perhaps? The face of the Madonna? An undiscovered Shakespearean sonnet??" Clearly there will always be "those people" among us. (It's me, I'm one of those people)
Ah I love Red Dwarf. For me it always comes back to the chili chutney egg sandwich lol.
Its smart to look at your bodily discharge and waste. It can warn you of issues before symptoms are felt. Look as your snot and poop and pee people!
I check my hanky because I suffer from chronic nosebleeds and every time I blow my nose I need to know whether I need to now find something to stuff up there and a place to lie down, or if I can safely go about my business.
I wouldn't do it, but I can see the interest. After all, how do you know what it looks like till you see it?🤨
Gotta know what came out... for health, probably.
Loving the recipes and subjects you present! Drinking History is great, too! ❤️
Thank you ☺️
This quote from my English Great-Grandmother (Edwardian) “All joints on the table will be carved!” I have the same le creuset casserole! I love it for so many things!
13:05 interesting that I've seen a few explanations in the comments, none of them actually explaining the origin of our MODERN elbows-off-the-table bit. Plain and simple, it was classism. You see, if you were a *sailor* at the time, it was common to hold your plate in place while you ate with your elbows- those who have been on ships before can confirm gravity has a habit of being indecisive.
See, the thing about the navy at the time is that almost all sailors were lower-class, and when they cane ashore and ate with elbows on the table it marked them as lower class. So, rich folks made it a requirement for good manners!
I actually made these im my crock pot, and they turned out pretty good. They didn't have that nice grilled or oven cooked crust to them, but they were super tender and went really nice on some pita bread with some fresh tomatoes.
max, i just got back from my job at a local texas barbeque 😅 for those of you who are making this recipe, or just ribs in general and are struggling to take off the silverskin -- that membrane he said to take off on the bone side -- using paper towel to grip the membrane helps if its too slippery for you. if you need help getting to it, you can use a paring knife and wedge it between the bone and the membrane. it doesnt go all the way to the bone though, so make sure you dont accidentally slice off the actual meat.
usually, i just remove it by hand -- if you run your finger right between the bone and the meat where it was cut, you can separate the membrane a little. then just stick your finger in, widen the gap, and pull evenly. good luck everyone!
Great recipe! I was almost expecting the dish to be a bit more on the sweet/sour side. The vinegar/dried currant/raisin combination reminded me of some old German recipes that had been handed down through my wife's family. Everyone has heard of SauerBraten, but in one particular region they were known for a whole slew of sweet sour dishes, from Sauer Kalfliesch (sweet and sour veal) to Sauer Eider (sweet and sour hard boiled eggs) and everything in between (fish, beef, etc) and almost all of them served over boiled potatoes. I remember reading an old (1700-1800's) German traveler quote saying that basically you will either like it or hate it. The recipes we have are from my wifes 3rd Great grandparents. The Sauer Kalfleisch has been tweaked for the post WW2 affordable ingredient availability in the states, it now lists pork and beef sirloin in place of the veal. Loved the video, and the book is on preorder...We can't wait for it to come out!
Dude did a deep dive on current. Gotta appreciate that level of passion for a subject.
12:50 I don't know for sure, but when a table was actually a board on a set of trestles it would be risky to lean on the edge with your elbows. You could upend the whole lot. With later tablecloths, you might tug at the fabric if you move an elbow, and so upset glasses, goblets, etc.
Absolutely love your history and your research. Thank you for having this channel I really appreciate it and it's always fun to watch
The not drinking and eating at the same time "Thou are done for" made me laugh out loud
Thou art surely boned
I got excited there for a second, but the currants that grow wild all over where I live are ribis currants. The wrong ones. Dammit, almost had a free ingredient for once. Oh, well, the ribis currants, especially Golden Currants, are still delicious fresh or dried.
Yes! Real currants for the win! I like to put it in my tea, it gives nice aroma
For what it's worth, there's no such thing as "The Harleian Manuscript." There are Harleian manuscripts, i.e. the manuscript collection assembled by Robert Harley and his son and presently in the British Library, but any reference to "the Harleian manuscript" in a book is just saying "that Harleian manuscript I mentioned before." A better way to refer to a manuscript is by its shelfmark (which you have here in a caption), so "Harleian Manuscript 4016" and then "MS 4016" or "Manuscript 4016" after that.
Lol, you are so adorable with the facial expressions you give while tasting a dish. You do a great job of giving us the tone of culture and history of the different times you are covering. Delightful. Thanks so much for your hard work and research that goes into your productions.
Max, your videos are very positive without ever being hilarious. They have a lot of knowledge without ever being too dry. It's just good, immaculate vibes all the way. Thank you, you're a cool person.
Nicely put !
I bet those were good. I’m starving now! I’m going to cook these for dinner and I will be using my own manners by eating large bites and so much I’ll pass out from a food coma. Can’t wait. Thank you for this recipe, I’m so excited!
Meat sweats 😆
The TASTING HISTORY COOKBOOK is available for preorder HERE: amzn.to/3NKTSaM
or
www.simonandschuster.com/books/Tasting-History/Max-Miller/9781982186180
Why do you tease me, Max? It won’t be available until NEXT YEAR!!!!
Ordered!
just so you know, 'Le Roman de la Rose' actually means The Book of the Rose or The novel of the Rose, romance, in french, is actually spellled the same way as in english, it's romance.
I hope I can get it!
You forgot to add the ingredient links in the description
This was a fun episode! I always have the impression that medieval people were so dirty all the time. But it's interesting to learn they understood the importance of clean hands at meal times.
If anything, not understanding the exact mechanisms disease spread by kind of made them _more_ obsessed with cleanliness. It makes sense that someone who associated dirt and bad smells with disease would be rather keen to have clean, sweet-smelling hands any time they came into contact with food.
Medieval people (as well as people even further back in time) often took hygiene quite seriously.
The talk about them only "bathing" once or twice a year is blown way out of proportion and devoid of necessary context.
Peasants didn't "bathe" often by our definition of bathing, however they did wash everyday. If you've ever taken what I call a "bird bath" with a sink of water, soap, and a washcloth then you basically did what peasants did back in the day.
There were lots of reasons that peasants, and even middle class merchants, didn't take a full on baths very often.
Water is heavy, and hauling enough water to fill a bathtub large enough to fit an adult is a LOT of work. You also have to take into consideration heating that water, it takes a lot of fuel to heat several gallons of water. Something that wasn't always available in large quantities because gathering firewood was strictly controlled.
Then you have to haul all that water back outside and dump it. 😵💫
The Victorians started most of the misinformation people believe about the past. They were great at making up BS to make themselves look better and more virtuous lol.
@@erinjackson6243 So true! (I'm totally calling my lighter washing a Bird Bath from now on. I do that sort of thing often in the summer when I want to freshen up in the middle of the day. You pick up all kinds of habits Medieval-Reenacting!)
Medival Europe was actually preatty clean given what they had available to them. Bath-houses and Saunas where common all over, though not always look upon favourably by the Church because of extracurricular activeties sometimes taking place there. They would always wear linen or hemp clothes closest to the skin. Both are fibers that can basically be cooked when cleaning them. There where big laundry operations everywhere to clean them. It was a secure way for woman to make money in the periode, though again the Church had some issues becuase of sometimes extracurricular activeties even if mostly the woman actually just provided crucial cleaning services for the community. Other than the next to the skin layer of clothes most where made from wool which actually has some powerful dirt repellent and self cleaning qualities when cared for the right way. Lavender actually has bug repellent chemicals and even though they didn't understand how it worked they could see tht it worked and so they used it around the house for that purpose. When you look at the actual historical facts the time periode people in Europe where the dirtiest is probably 1650-1850. Ironically the Enlightenment and later the Industrial Revolution broke down a loot of the chaines of knowledge transfer of how to stay clean and nobody understood polution and germs yet, which was a recipe for disaster in a lot of ways in the late 18th century.
Given that so many people at the time believed "cleanliness is next to godliness" so it makes sense they would be decent at hygiene.
17:32 Funny, when I was a kid (1960s) we were still taught to leave a little on the plate at the end...for the fairies. We were not well off by any means, but still we had to leave a little.
Another manner I have added to my sit down family meals. No phones at the table. This unbelievable hard for some of my grandkids but without their phones in hand, they talk and laugh with each other. Those ribs look so good. Thanks.
I remember no reading at the table when I was young.... And then we got a TV and things began to change.
"If she speaks, someone says it is too much. If she is silent, she is reproached for not knowing how to greet people. If she is friendly and courteous, someone pretends it is for love. If on the other hand, she does not put on a bright face, she passes for being too proud."
Yeah, about that... 😣
I loved Max for sticking up for women. I think it is because Gay guys and women both know what it is to live in a world run by Morons!
It's so wild to me that it actually applies today :-( it's just probably not written down in an actual manners handbook. Doublestandards, bleh!
The lot of all women through the centuries. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
@@verenamaharajah6082 Isn't that the truth, though. 😒
@@verenamaharajah6082 Not just women, and probably not just very modern apes. It's a fairly universal part of the human condition, unless you're a sociopath. Men are just socialized to swallow it until powerful laxatives are needed, or to lash out violently at the slightest provocation, and neither ends particularly well.
It's interesting how many of the "ancient" manners carry forward to today. One that hasn't - tossing food across the room - has just become "Discreetly hide thy inedible morsel in thy napkin and hopest no guest thus sees."
Oh, we have All been There! Another helpful one is that hound! Discreet cough, place said morsel in hand, lower arm and hope Fido has noticed! Maybe that was what the dogs were for?
The most trouble I have ever gotten into regarding table manners had to have been the upteenth time the folks caught me discretely sneaking the food I didn't like to the dog under the table. We always had a dog after Mom discovered that a good dog was indispensable for keeping the floor clean when there were little kids at table.
Humanity, Humanity Never Changes. (Intro Music Plays)
@matt Blom ... excellent !👏
@@hogwashmcturnip8930 My grandmother's dog would certainly agree that this was her purpose in life. At a meal, she would lay her head on the nearest lap and look up with huge, hopeful brown eyes while drooling gently all over one's knee.
This sounds and looks quite tasty! We wouldn't have the difficulty differentiating the currants over here in Australia as we call the dried grape currants simply "currants" whereas the berries are called redcurrants or blackcurrants, depending on the colour, of course. Redcurrants and blackcurrants are used primarily in jams here, although black currant is a popular flavour in cordials, usually mixed with apple nowadays and, of course, you have the iconic Ribena.
I sometimes use redcurrant jam as an ingredient in marinades for kangaroo meat as the fruity flavour pairs really well with red game meat.
Great episode Max. I stumbled over your channel a few months ago and have completely enjoyed every episode. I love your humor and the history you provide is wonderful. I look forward to more episodes.
Thank you!
Thank you! I love to learn and I've learned something new about currents today!! I grew up with both currents and Concord grapes in the back yard and never understood why anyone would think a raisin is a current or vice versa etc I just figured people didn't know what real currents are lol
Lmao, a wine that's called "Nightmare". That'd indeed be a cool gift!
Interesting thing about the whole elbows on the table thing. It prompted an interesting moment of discussion when myself, my parents and my grandfather were at the table. My brother and I had no issue with elbows on the table - after food was served that is. But we retained, very firmly, the notion of placing ones knife and fork together to denote that you have finished eating.
My father pointed out how all three generations had ever so slightly different table manners, and how it was curious which ones each successive generation decided was "Important", and which ones were not. When it reality all manners - though nevertheless a sincere expression of respect and courtesy - are fairly arbitrary.
Curiously, from speaking with colleagues from different parts of the world, I have noted a fairly significant difference in voicing disagreement with ones elders, or contradicting someone at the dinnertable. Saying "No, I don't think thats right..." Would for some generations of some demographics be a huge breach of manners.
Its very interesting. The desire to be respectful and courteous is fairly common across most demographics. But its interesting how different times and places express that respect.
Love this channel. Both of my adult sons are history buffs. When they were children many outings and activities were history based. Now this gives us ideas to continue history based fun together.
If you've ever had a roast beef and chutney sandwich it probably resembles the flavour profile this dish. Fruit chutney is an English condiment standardised from Indian chutneys that is heavily vinegar, sugar, and raisin unfused. Delicious, also!
Mrs Balls fruit chutney is the best. Yum. The Indian origin is very interesting. I can well believe it.
I enjoyed this episode so very much!! You were so funny talking about your childhood visit at the etiquette class and "you know who you are". Definitely an episode to listen to again!