The idea that anyone would use really expensive spices to camouflage bad meat when anyone who could afford spices would have been able to afford excellent meat as well.
While it is not untrue, it is misleading to say that the average medieval lifespan was 35. Because it causes many people to think that people only lived into their thirties while the average lifespan was similar to today's. We just have fewer deaths from things other than age related causes today compared to people from the past.
Spain was not a union of Kingdoms, it was Castille violently imposing their power (and language...) over the rest of the Peninsula. Ysabel and Fernando were second cousins and grandchildren of castillian kings.
Let's stop for a moment to thank Max for his efforts to get the history right. You are teaching not only cooking, but how good research is made, which is an invaluable ability few people outside academia have.
And no shortage of people _in_ academia lack. It's amazing to me how many people, including and sometimes _especially_ academics, will defend things they "know" when when it's proven to be untrue or even ridiculous. I also assume anything is untrue if the person saying it doesn't cite their source, or cites a source that doesn't cite its source. The most egregious example of this was a "study" claiming that BB guns were dangerous weapons and should be controlled the same way as firearms. It claimed that a pellet gun with a muzzle velocity of 1150 fps was "as powerful as a .45 handgun." It had a footnote. The footnote referred to another page in the study. I checked that page. The claim was also on that page, with another footnote. That footnote referred back to the first page in an ouroboros of stupid. FYI, 1150 fps is about the velocity a .45 handgun shoots a bullet. A bullet that weighs 24 times as much as the .177 pellet in question. Just a "small" difference in energy.
I have watched the BBC programme QI for quite a while now, a panel show that takes established "facts" and more or less tells you how untrue they are. They have been known to do episodes where they admit to getting some things wrong, even with an army of researchers at their backs. But still, many of the things I was told as a child at school as fact are really not...according to QI. That's just life I suppose. 😊
But so many in academia take what's taught at face value and do not seek info outside of their institution, creating an "echo chamber". Being an "academic" doesn't necessarily make one more knowledgeable, but it definitely puts one in financial debt.
Max I watch all your video religiously, as someone who doesn't comment at all your yesterday's post on UA-cam community made me realise that I should let you know what a fantastic job you are doing, the amount of research you put in ur videos are commendable and it's a joyride to watch your videos as you make it very entertaining. Keep on doing what you do and can't wait to read your book when I get it on my hands next year.
Beautifully said. My boss and I talk regularly about these episodes and we thoroughly enjoy it. And partly because of Max's wonderful work and research, boss's husband is going to take cooking classes. As well, this entire channel hits my niche interest in cooking and I can't wait to get my hands on that book! Thank you Mimi, for helping drag this lurker out of the shadows!
You can still fault the Victorians for anything though. Bad weather? Victorians. No pasta in your cupboard? Victorians. Slipped in a puddle? Victorians again. Blame em for everything (for fun).
As a historian myself, I applaud you making sure to call out fake history. Research is tough, and it can take the wind out of your sails when you find out the research you did was off, but it’s a lesson learned.
Ahh, as a history major I completely understand your pain, and I commend you for the dedication to checking sources and tracing attributions! I remember having an entire paper fall apart in college because a source I thought was solid turned out to be from a later edition written by a completely different person. I went to the professor with the news and he just laughed and said, "Yeah, that happens all the time. Salvage what you can and I'll grade it on that."
Da Vinci and Botticelli working in a restaurant together sounds like it would’ve been wild. Two very creative people dealing with the lunch rush, food prep and Those Customers? Definitely a story worth telling 😂
I am now imagining the crew of Drunk History getting together with some scholarly sources and historical re-enactors to put on such a performance, and man does it make me want to make a pitch to Netflix. I hear they'll buy anything.
So there was an archaeology show that ran in Britain for quite a while called Time Team. They investigated a site in Llagadwy, which they knew going in was a hoax site. They investigated it using rigid protocols, deliberately disproving every story told about it. As they went along you could see the frustration building about what they were discovering. The point is that your debunking davinci’s recipe notes is a very valid thing to do. Time Team, at the end of their investigation, left that site with all of the hoaxes debunked and a solid understanding of how they were perpetuated. The episode is considered one of the series’ best episodes and established their methods as reputable and verifiable. So, Max, well done.
Man, at 15:03, that was one of the most real, most honest pieces of history work I've ever seen. Thank you for that. Mad respect for that level of authenticity and honesty.
I love that your shared this. The turnip is a tragically maligned vegetable in our day. I've also run into a number of situations where something shared online because it was entertaining or fit another narrative was demonstrably untrue. (Including one thing that, in its own footnotes, unrelated to the text above, asserted that Mary Todd Lincoln had assassinated her husband, the president. I didn't even bother responding to the point someone was trying to make. I just snipped the footnote and asked about the source.)
Turnips are great, and so are parsnips. You have to get the sugar content to show up by roasting them, though, or doing other stuff to bring out their best.
Turnips are tragically under appreciated today. I first started experimenting when I noticed how many old European recipes included them and found they mix wonderfully with potatoes but can stand on their own or go very well with various legumes. Roasted they sweeten and become more complex, stewed and then mashed they retain some bite that is a bit like mild horseradish, but just don't let them cook too long or as Max noted, some notes of bitterness crop up. They also keep incredibly well and that probably contributed more than anything else ot how many old recipes they are in.
@@AlanLamb11 Keeping well, and even be stored in the field so long as it wasn't frozen, very important (hence the popularity of parsnips and carrots too). But also valuable, is easy to grow-- not a lot of pests. For instance, there are (very pretty) butterflies called black swallowtails that the caterpillars (which look pretty freaky too!) eat only the greens of carrot, parsnip, and parsley. And then there's the "cabbage butterfly", which eats... you guessed it! cabbages -- and all the plants we've turned cabbage into: like broccoli, kale, and Brussels sprouts. Let's just say the year I grew carrots AND broccoli was a great one for my kid's Kindergarten teacher in terms of displaying living The Very Hungry Caterpillar(s).
Ah, we all remember how Leonardo famously said "Let them eat turnips!" He also once chopped down his father's turnip tree, and did not lie about it. And once, when a woman offered him respite after a battle, he neglectfully left the oven on and burnt the turnips.
I guess you forgot to mention that he climbed the said tree first, landed in home of some giant, stole from him and was treated as a hero as he came back. That's why he chopped the tree, so the giant couldn't go after him.
Or you forgot his brother and he had to drive 160 miles to Chicago, with a full tank of gas, a half packet of turnips but they were wearing sunglasses!
You'll never change my mind that DaVinci built a space craft and discovered Tom Hanks. On a positive note, I've never seen turnips looks so good and armoured 😊
Max really makes quality episodes weekly like a tv show all by himself and husband with the podcast/behind the scenes,It’s really cool don’t burn yourself out max ❤️
This video deserves a standing ovation. It is, as usual, masterfully conceived and produced. But it's also one of the best examples I've ever seen about how fake information can inflate into "reliable" stuff. Kudos to you, Max, for being a bright and inquisitive researcher.
I went through this exact same process with the claims surrounding the “Bell Witch” haunting. All of the sources led directly back to ONE single book written by an author unrelated to the family that was released well after everyone “involved” was dead (conveniently). This isn’t even regarding if the haunting was supernatural in nature or easily explained-NONE of it actually happened. There are no contemporary sources from when the haunting supposedly took place. Not a single letter, newspaper article, diary, etc. So unfortunately the debate over if it was a rEaL sPiRiT or not is dead in the water-none of it *ever even happened.*
Believe it or not, Jack the Ripper probably falls into this category. His existence can only be attributed to letters that were allegedly sent by the killer to a single journalist. Otherwise the "Ripper murders"- based upon forensic analysis- were clearly perpetrated by different killers.
As an historian and a foodie, I generally enjoy your episodes - but I found this one particularly good, because of the way you go into historical methodology and critical reading of sources (and even included a self-correction, which I thought was especially honest of you). Keep up the good work!
After binge watching your episodes for days, the comment about the turnip that couldn't be peeled at around 5 minutes personally cemented your channel as the best UA-cam cooking channel EVER! 😂🤣😂🤣 Please don't ever change. What a treasure! Thank you for being you, especially now. Because of your lightheadedness, and candid honesty, and dedication to detail, you are transforming our current time into a history that will be much more palatable in the centuries to come. (Pun intended) Many blessings to you!!!
Thank you for everything you do sir. You are one of the best on UA-cam. So glad you decided to stick with this instead of going back to Disney company.
@@Lionstar16 Let's use the correct language. He was "friends with" Prince Charming. If you know any Disney cast members, you know how strict they are about this.
I second you getting your own show on the history channel. Can't believe how dull and boring my history classes were. There's nothing boring about history except the way it's taught
I think the perceived dryness of the history classroom is at large part because the human mind respond much better to stories than to lists. The history lessons are constructed and delivered in a detached manner... Almost like reading from a list. There just aren't much room for personal (and often unverifiable) stories in there, when such stories may 'tie' the students attention and evoke wonder in them.
With infinite resources, combined subjects like this would do gangbusters in schools. History and cooking might both seem boring to a teenager, but combine them and you've got something weird and fascinating, while being solidly educational in both respects.
Max would never be able to get onto the history channel. For one, he's far too factually accurate, no way he can share space with shit like ancient aliens. Two, I don't think he's even touched on WWII yet, let alone linger over it the way the history channel does to the point where all of history might as well be the Stone Age, WWII, and Today. And lastly, he doesn't seem to be obligated to stop every five minutes to explain how the bible is 100% accurate with no symbolism or allegory. It's the same as people telling Alec Steele to go on Forged in Fire. Tasting History is just too good of a program to sink that low.
Ok so this Leo inventing the fork myth has reached a level I never thought possible. I taught elementary school English in the public school system in Korea for 5 years. My last year there, 2020, they had a new edition of the 5th and 6th grade books come out, and each unit had a history lesson in it, some were accurate, some definitely not, I was surprised how little fact checking by 3rd parties happened with this text book. Anyways I don't remember with grade, but one of them talked about Leonardo's inventions, and this textbook said he invented the fork and wrote a cookbook. Now I'm not the best at knowing the inventions of Da Vinci, but these both sounded super fishy to me, one small Google search reading both Wikipedia and actual academic articles debunked both, and it didn't take that long to find the info. I literally had my students write in both English and Korean in their textbook "not true" in big at the top of that page and I informed my fellow English teachers. I was like, it's a nice folktale, but it's not history, and it shouldn't be presented as such.
I never heard any of these da Vinci fake stories. Seems like much like the fake history joke book, it's limited to English speaking world. For now. I expect at least some of the falsehoods to slowly permeate through, because of cultural pull.
Max, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you giving us this glimpse into the complexity that is historiography. As you say, the internet really, truly muddies the waters when it comes to sourcing research. Thank you for setting an example of reading closely and verifying with primary sources rather than giving in to the very real temptation of a good but unverifiable story.
Please don't ever stop enjoying yourself while you do these! Your passion for history and food, and making sure the correct information is put out there, is a great service! I wish I could afford your cookbook but I just had a baby lol! Hoping to save up for it, I want my daughter to love history and cooking as much as I do and be able to support you if even a little.
I am happy that you decided to go ahead with posting this episode, despite having some doubts beforehand about doing so. It's refreshing to see a social media influencer acknowledging the potential pitfalls of relying on sources (both printed and internet based), while also demonstrating a steadfast commitment to verify one's research ... and including the occasional correction.
As much as I love at least a hundred of your other videos, I consider this the most important one you've done so far. You have all the usual elements we crave, but you also bring out from behind the curtain the nuts and bolts of how you bring everything together. Most importantly, you demonstrate true responsibility by pointing out the sand that can gum up the machinery behind the curtain. You could've glossed over the whole quagmire with "There are stories that Leonardo did..." and kept going. Instead, you put in all the extra effort to remind us how important it is to pull back that curtain and acknowledge the weaknesses of the machinery. In this day and age, that's rare, and honorable, and more important than ever. Thank you.
I love it when content creators pull the curtain behind their own research process. It means everything just knowing that there _is_ a research process, which is more than can be said for some "educational" content.
Made this today. (ok substituting the spices for some garam masala I had sitting around). It was one of the tastiest things I've eaten. I also sliced the turnips before I cooked them. They cooked faster that way and I could get them into the casserole dish right away with some tongs. Tried a half dozen of your recipes, but this one stands out. Will make this again. But I do want to try to make the turnips a little mushier next time. I was kind of missing the softness of a potato au gratin or a endive au gratin. I think even if it gets bitter (like endive au gratin), that may add another tasty layer of complexity to an already great dish.
As a teacher, I really appreciate this episode. We all learn from mistakes most of all, and there is zero problem talking about every step of the research process!
Oh man, so the TMNT cartoons I grew up with as a kid aren't based on the real adventures of Leonardo da Vinci? And here I was thinking that show was historically accurate...
I had the privileged teaching history for 15 years and I always stressed knowing where your sources come from, who wrote them and when and why they were written. Drove my students crazy! But it is a life lesson applicable to all information! Think critically!! I love your channel, content and that you keep the mistakes in regarding research and cooking! You keep it real!
I'm happy you decided to put this out. If anything it just shows how careful and thoroughly you research. We all love the shear amount of work you put into these each week :)
The work you do is more than just entertaining. It is valuable and important, and I and others appreciate it. Debunking well-propagated falsehoods about history, not just with denial, but by actually doing the legwork to track down their origin and refute them, is something not done enough, not appreciated enough, and too often muddled with motives other than the pursuit of truth. You're a true student of history and a true entertainer, and a darn good cook, besides. Cheers!
Honestly, showing how hard it is to weed out the hearsay from the history is as much a vital role as reporting the history itself. It's also a good reminder that misinformation didn't start with The Internet.
I LOVE the fact that you're so determined to find the source. Most people today just re-Tweet whatever they see, regardless of it's accuracy. I'm totally with you!
Thank you for addressing this issue with misappropriation and the repetitive use of false, unverified information. As a writer whenever I do research I effort to cross reference because I want to correctly attribute, credit and be a part of the sharing of solid useful information. It's maddening how challenging that is! Especially with quotes. Great video too. You blend of food and history with natural charm and affability. Wow, I am in writer mode, lol. In short: you're cool
At one time I did find Vasari's book on renaissance painters. I had heard about it in college, but we never did read from it directly. When I tried to read it I realized why: it is a book of compliments. There began the myth of the renaissance man. They were all the best, all great and painted better than everybody else. They were GENIUSES! I can see how Vasari was praised by the collectors of such work, at the time. It was the greatest, best fluff piece in the history of art. He increased the value of Italian art of the time many fold.
Thank goodness you debunked the Leonardo- as - a - chef rumors. I'm quite the Leonardo fangirl and I have read a lot about him over the years. You were going on about Leonardo having a restaurant and so forth and I was like " Whaaat ? Where is Max getting all this ? I've never heard ANY of this before !" Not surprised at all it turned out to be an April Fool's Day joke.
I FEEL you on the difficulty of finding reputable sources for historical anecdotes. I run into the same problems when trying to research magical traditions, witch trials, and the roots of modern pagan beliefs. Cheers to you for doing your due diligence and being persistent! Can't wait to read your cookbook!
I have that book by Jonathan Routh! 😂 I bought it years ago as a present for my Dad. It was in the history section of the bookstore and I thought it sounded really interesting. I gave it to my Dad and a couple days later he told me "this book is a bit weird" I brought it back home and realized he was right, put it away and hadn't thought about it until today. I thought it was just a bad book, but now I realize it's a prank book!
Max, I'm so glad you made this video! I'm teaching a class in the fall on graduate research skills, and I'm definitely going to include this as an assignment for when we talk about the importance of assessing the validity of sources. You did an awesome job of tracking down not just what was wrong in the information you were reading, but also how it came to be wrong. And your edit from a week later is a fantastic example of the iterative nature of research. This is excellent scholarship, and it makes my professor/librarian heart happy! Thank you!!!
As a teacher, I want to say thank you for sharing your research process for this one. It's so important in this day and age to vet your resources, but for learners, it is also so crucial to acknowledge and correct errors when they occur, and to realize that everyone makes them. When we know better, we do better. Thank you, Max Miller! 😊
LOL, I always enjoy (and learn so much fabulous history!) from your videos and I use Closed Captioning. Today, I laughed out loud at 4:25am because when you (and all of us) giggled at the turnip, the CC said [Giggity] - 🤣😂😅🤣😂
I usually get $100 for my birthday from parents still. It's in September. Definitely buying your cook book! Me and gf love to watch while we eat dinner. I'm the main cook. So have wanted a cook book from you since I first saw your videos 😂
I love the myths you put in! Maybe in the future if you run into them, you can have a little "tall tales" section! Thanks for all your time and effort. Love your videos!!
Ngl, the inserted correction of "guys, I screwed up, that quote is 99% mostl likely not something he said." Actually really worked with the episode. It actually really added to the entire episode's focus on trying to separate fact from fiction. Nothing says finding accurate historical sources is hard work like having to interject your own video with a correction that was discovered in post.
As I was working on my Master's in History I used to encounter these difficulties quite a lot. I'm glad you covered this subject, and really appreciate you leaving your mistake in. It perfectly highlights your point. I've got to add that the history of misinformation is often just as fascinating as the history of what actually happened!
What's more astounding about Max's research going out of the way to separate fact from fiction is his extensive Pokémon plushie collection. Oddish plushie is pretty hard to find.
Watching this (and commenting) belatedly, but I have to say that I really admire your academic rigor and all the effort you put into preparing your wonderful videos!
My first thought was when would he have had the time to run a restaurant? Apparently, none of those who have taken this stuff seriously asked themselves this.
My first thought was that the concept of a restaurant as we know it today was invented in France around the time of the Revolution, and although there have always been comparable types of establishments that served food (such as inns and taverns), there certainly wouldn't have been such a thing as a "head chef" in Leonardo's time.
I love that you made this video. So much of what we read we take as fact. We absolutely have to look at the source! I would love to see more “false” history if you run across something this interesting again. Keep it up!
@@sandralouth3103 most SCA feasts are around $10, there was a Coronation feast which cost $15 and it had 23 courses with sherberts and other palate cleansers in between the courses. My wife did a feast and wrote a mini-cookbook for it.
I feel for you vis-a-vis primary resources. It's so challenging on occasion to find verifiable sources for information, but you've done a great job, and I really appreciated your editorial insert! As for the recipe, I can't wait to try it. As you say, it's fairly straight forward, but I think it's a great way to use turnips, which aren't seen as often as they used to be. Thanks, Max, for all your efforts (and Jose's as well).
I felt for Max when he realized he was reading nonsense XD The Victorians loved to "rewrite" bits of history. But at least they were ...honest/ obvious about it. Especially with such a legendary figure like da Vinci I can't imagine all the myths (lies! untruths!) out there. I love gratins, especially with root veggies. The spices in this are different.
Newer subscriber here, and I just finished watching all the videos from oldest to newest! I first came for the history & food, but I stayed for the witty sarcasm & outright humor. You have made an incredible success out of something that sounds like started as a hobby built from a true interest. I am so impressed with what you have done, and I am a true fan now Max. GUT GEMACHT!
I’m glad you went ahead with the episode, it came out great (as always) and highlights the pitfalls of research. In college I had a professor who said there were three questions to ask when evaluating sources. 1. Who says? 2. How do they know? and 3. Why should they know? Moving on from that, would love to see an episode of Alexander Dumas, pere, and his Grand Dictionnaire de cuisine.
I come across this problem a lot too when researching the history of different cheeses, especially with searching on the internet where many sites don't cite their sources. Thanks for keeping it real Max!
I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your videos. I'm a history enthusiast like yourself and love how you educate with food. I have been watching you from the very beginning and hope you keep living your dream. We all enjoy watching you do it. It's inspiring.
Amazed at how quickly you can get 1200 comments. That said, I have to commend you on the integrity that you showed in this episode. That is rare in media as a whole these days and on the internet in particular. Well done!
I'm a professional historian, with a doctorate in my area of research, and one of the things I most admire about this channel is the seriousness and accuracy with which the research for the episodes is carried out. Fantastic work! Congratulations!
I love nutmeg. When I make my macaroni and cheese with ham, I put nutmeg in my cheese sauce. It just adds something that makes it taste better to me. My family loves it, so that's what counts. I love your channel, and so does my youngest. He's in the Navy, and depending on where he's stationed he likes to cook his own meal. Some of your recipes have made great meals for him. Thanks for sharing.
I can appreciate your documentation of research, Max! Also...As a long-time medievalist, I can attest to the fact that you get used to nutmeg and cinnamon in your food. Really! This first time I tried "porcupined meat" (meatloaves with almond sliver quills), I was a bit taken aback. I was told that the spices masked the taste of possibly rotting or gamey meat. Of course in Acre (our supposed city-state), they added cloves. The more you eat of these spiced foods, the less of a surprise it is, till finally you come to expect it. I can taste it in my mouth now, and remember the raisin stuffing, filled with the scent of wine. Delightful!
I use nutmeg and cinnamon on top of the bechamel sauce when I make moussaka. I layer eggplant and potato (and sometimes ground lamb) and it really tastes a lot like the flavours that you are describing here. Nutmeg and cheese, for the win!! Thanks for another fantastic, informative episode, Max!
I love watching the left of the screen in every video to see which Pokémon plush or figure Max has used for the background today. Also, Oddish is the PERFECT choice for a turnip episode. Nailed it.
Within my medieval reenactment group we have made this dish a few times. Personally I am not a fan, I like all the individual ingredients but not together. But I adore the amount of effort and research you put into all your videos. Keep it up.
Your dedication to the product and to the audience is one of the things we love about you, Max, so here's to hope for less hesitation and heartburn over whether or not to publish the heartbreaking truth when it all falls down. It is painful to think that a literal april fools gag has since been considered as a viable source of information on the Maestro. I have to wonfer if it didnt gain some traction because of Leonardo's brief surge in popularity during the run of Assassin's Creed 2 amd Brotherhood, as he appears as a supporting character.
It really should go to show everyone how tricky it can be to find good sources when even someone as well-read and intelligent as our beloved Mr. Miller are sometimes fooled! Great video, I appreciate you giving us a little peak behind the curtain so to speak :)
I think I'd probably really like this recipe. When I make potatoes au gratin or whatever, I usually use a cream sauce flavoured with nutmeg and cheddar cheese. I appreciate your videos for the interesting recipes and historical tidbits - even if they are questionable. It is a learning experience for all of us!
I CAN’T WAIT until someone comes up to me and tells me that DaVinci created a 200ft long edible altar for the wedding of the Duke of Milan that got eaten by rats the night before the ceremony
This was a really interesting episode. Thank you for doing your due diligence and finding the facts. I love watching Tasting History because of the in depth delve into history and the history of food.
When I lived in Germany, I worked on a farm. The grandmother was the one who did all the cooking, and I would eat with the family during meals. The cheese sauce she made for potatoes always had cinnamon and nutmeg in it. It was amazing!
It was so important that you made this video!! People often forget, that not everything on the internet is true, even if you do your research. Thank you for showing that fact-checking is important💪
Let's keep in mind, the dietary restraints of being Roman Orthodox (Catholic) during any day or age, which includes many periods of fasting (and feasting). The most obvious and longest fast of the year is Lent of course, but even the modern Orthodox calendar recommends fasting days on many days of the year. A fasting day allows the faithful only vegetarian fare, so DaVinci would almost certainly been following this recommendation. Fish is considered vegetarian in most Orthodox (Catholic) churches and is allowed on some days when actual meat is not, which is why McDonald's offers a fish sandwich. Speaking of Tasting History. If you'd like an idea of the Christian dietary calendar, just stop by a Catholic or Orthodox church near you, or visit the website of one. The Eastern Orthodox church I sometimes attend attaches a calendar with fasting and feasting days annotated in their monthly newsletter.
As always, an outstanding job. It's always interesting to hear history desconstructed/corrected, no matter whether it's a person/place/thing. Hears a lot about Leonardo over the years, so it's nice to learn even more about his life.
I absolutely love the courage you took in posting this video regardless of your struggles and the true artistry that goes into each of these videos is incredibly impressive to me. It's always such fun just putting on a playlist of your videos. As a fellow actor and passionate thespian i absolutely relate to you and look up to you as rather an inspiration and a friend. Thank you for everything!!!
Thank you for posting this episode, Max! Especially the edit clip! For one, the episode was a delight, as you work always is, and for another, it sets you apart as a trusted source (insofar as anyone can be). You have cemented your viability and integrity as a researcher and teacher. Thank you indeed! You are a delight and a joy!
5:00-5:07 LOL! Is it just me or did that funny shaped turnip remind anyone else of the. Blackadder episode where Baldrick & Percy find a turnip shaped like a 'thingy'. 🤣
What an interesting episode! I loved how you showed us your process of discovery and discussed a "meta" topic (how history writing is sometimes a collection of perpetuated errors and myths). Also, this recipe is similar to a dish I make with kohlrabi, another great substitute for potatoes au gratin.
What are some of the history myths you see most often?
The idea that anyone would use really expensive spices to camouflage bad meat when anyone who could afford spices would have been able to afford excellent meat as well.
I think the myth sounds better than the truth sometimes
@@joemorganeatmyshortschannel that's probably why myths are so common. People like them over the "boring" truth.
While it is not untrue, it is misleading to say that the average medieval lifespan was 35. Because it causes many people to think that people only lived into their thirties while the average lifespan was similar to today's. We just have fewer deaths from things other than age related causes today compared to people from the past.
Spain was not a union of Kingdoms, it was Castille violently imposing their power (and language...) over the rest of the Peninsula. Ysabel and Fernando were second cousins and grandchildren of castillian kings.
Let's stop for a moment to thank Max for his efforts to get the history right. You are teaching not only cooking, but how good research is made, which is an invaluable ability few people outside academia have.
It’s definitely a lesson for us all in the age of misinformation
And no shortage of people _in_ academia lack. It's amazing to me how many people, including and sometimes _especially_ academics, will defend things they "know" when when it's proven to be untrue or even ridiculous.
I also assume anything is untrue if the person saying it doesn't cite their source, or cites a source that doesn't cite its source.
The most egregious example of this was a "study" claiming that BB guns were dangerous weapons and should be controlled the same way as firearms. It claimed that a pellet gun with a muzzle velocity of 1150 fps was "as powerful as a .45 handgun." It had a footnote. The footnote referred to another page in the study. I checked that page. The claim was also on that page, with another footnote. That footnote referred back to the first page in an ouroboros of stupid.
FYI, 1150 fps is about the velocity a .45 handgun shoots a bullet. A bullet that weighs 24 times as much as the .177 pellet in question. Just a "small" difference in energy.
@@TastingHistory and not only that, but highlighting the importance and value of admitting to mistakes, a great lesson for both research and life.
I have watched the BBC programme QI for quite a while now, a panel show that takes established "facts" and more or less tells you how untrue they are. They have been known to do episodes where they admit to getting some things wrong, even with an army of researchers at their backs. But still, many of the things I was told as a child at school as fact are really not...according to QI. That's just life I suppose. 😊
But so many in academia take what's taught at face value and do not seek info outside of their institution, creating an "echo chamber". Being an "academic" doesn't necessarily make one more knowledgeable, but it definitely puts one in financial debt.
Max I watch all your video religiously, as someone who doesn't comment at all your yesterday's post on UA-cam community made me realise that I should let you know what a fantastic job you are doing, the amount of research you put in ur videos are commendable and it's a joyride to watch your videos as you make it very entertaining. Keep on doing what you do and can't wait to read your book when I get it on my hands next year.
Thank you so much, Mimi. As someone who rarely comments on things, I’m all the more appreciative of this.
+
This!!!
Beautifully said. My boss and I talk regularly about these episodes and we thoroughly enjoy it. And partly because of Max's wonderful work and research, boss's husband is going to take cooking classes. As well, this entire channel hits my niche interest in cooking and I can't wait to get my hands on that book!
Thank you Mimi, for helping drag this lurker out of the shadows!
Couldn't agree more. You are a fantastic spring of inspiration and knowledge. I've made many of your recipes.
You know it's honestly kind of refreshing to learn there was a source of incorrect history myths which WEREN'T the fault of the Victorians.
LOL, I was thinking the same thing!
Unless... it was time-travelling Victorians!
@@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 you might be on to something. 😆
😆
You can still fault the Victorians for anything though. Bad weather? Victorians. No pasta in your cupboard? Victorians. Slipped in a puddle? Victorians again. Blame em for everything (for fun).
As a historian myself, I applaud you making sure to call out fake history. Research is tough, and it can take the wind out of your sails when you find out the research you did was off, but it’s a lesson learned.
Well said Good Sir 👍 👏🏾
With a big brain like his? No, he was not a Herbivore. Da Vinci was much higher up on the food chain.
@@EmeraldEyesEsotericLMFAOOOOOOO. you're the fake history discussed in this video. Receipts or retreat, witch!
I love the fact that you inserted the part that the quote was wrong. It really makes you more trustworthy as a history channel
Almost anything would be more trustworthy than the History Channel, home of Ancient Aliens 🥸
Ahh, as a history major I completely understand your pain, and I commend you for the dedication to checking sources and tracing attributions! I remember having an entire paper fall apart in college because a source I thought was solid turned out to be from a later edition written by a completely different person. I went to the professor with the news and he just laughed and said, "Yeah, that happens all the time. Salvage what you can and I'll grade it on that."
It’s a house of cards sometimes
Had the exact same situation happen. It was definitely a lesson learned the hard way that's for sure
@@markrenton3941 I don't know what that means.
@@markrenton3941 What did you major in, then?
@@Narokkurai it means that Liberal Arts majors can only get jobs at Starbucks.
Da Vinci and Botticelli working in a restaurant together sounds like it would’ve been wild. Two very creative people dealing with the lunch rush, food prep and Those Customers? Definitely a story worth telling 😂
Sounds like a sitcom in the 80s which is why I should’ve known it wasn’t real.
@@TastingHistory THE sitcom of the 1480s. Every Tuesday, at the new Da Vinci Kitchen.
(Queue in the theme for "Cheers", arranged for the late 1400s).
I am now imagining the crew of Drunk History getting together with some scholarly sources and historical re-enactors to put on such a performance, and man does it make me want to make a pitch to Netflix.
I hear they'll buy anything.
OMG what if cooking was their real forte? So sad to lose those recipes
Sounds like an 8 episode arc if I've ever heard of one
So there was an archaeology show that ran in Britain for quite a while called Time Team. They investigated a site in Llagadwy, which they knew going in was a hoax site. They investigated it using rigid protocols, deliberately disproving every story told about it. As they went along you could see the frustration building about what they were discovering. The point is that your debunking davinci’s recipe notes is a very valid thing to do. Time Team, at the end of their investigation, left that site with all of the hoaxes debunked and a solid understanding of how they were perpetuated. The episode is considered one of the series’ best episodes and established their methods as reputable and verifiable. So, Max, well done.
I love me some Time Team. It was a notable bit of entertainment during initial COVID lockdowns.
One of my favourite episodes! Time was a brilliant show.
Thanks for that, I follow Time Team and never saw this one, very nice
@@VincentGroenewold You can find it here in youtube. Sure worth of watching. I love Time Team.
What the heck, never heard of this show but it sounds entirely up my alley.
Man, at 15:03, that was one of the most real, most honest pieces of history work I've ever seen. Thank you for that. Mad respect for that level of authenticity and honesty.
I love that your shared this. The turnip is a tragically maligned vegetable in our day. I've also run into a number of situations where something shared online because it was entertaining or fit another narrative was demonstrably untrue. (Including one thing that, in its own footnotes, unrelated to the text above, asserted that Mary Todd Lincoln had assassinated her husband, the president. I didn't even bother responding to the point someone was trying to make. I just snipped the footnote and asked about the source.)
Turnips are great, and so are parsnips. You have to get the sugar content to show up by roasting them, though, or doing other stuff to bring out their best.
Turnips are tragically under appreciated today. I first started experimenting when I noticed how many old European recipes included them and found they mix wonderfully with potatoes but can stand on their own or go very well with various legumes. Roasted they sweeten and become more complex, stewed and then mashed they retain some bite that is a bit like mild horseradish, but just don't let them cook too long or as Max noted, some notes of bitterness crop up.
They also keep incredibly well and that probably contributed more than anything else ot how many old recipes they are in.
@@AlanLamb11 Keeping well, and even be stored in the field so long as it wasn't frozen, very important (hence the popularity of parsnips and carrots too). But also valuable, is easy to grow-- not a lot of pests.
For instance, there are (very pretty) butterflies called black swallowtails that the caterpillars (which look pretty freaky too!) eat only the greens of carrot, parsnip, and parsley. And then there's the "cabbage butterfly", which eats... you guessed it! cabbages -- and all the plants we've turned cabbage into: like broccoli, kale, and Brussels sprouts. Let's just say the year I grew carrots AND broccoli was a great one for my kid's Kindergarten teacher in terms of displaying living The Very Hungry Caterpillar(s).
Vladimir Putin made a mighty image with him sitting on a horse. It looks different when you realize that is a Shetland pony.
Turnips are surprisingly pretty vegetables.
Ah, we all remember how Leonardo famously said "Let them eat turnips!" He also once chopped down his father's turnip tree, and did not lie about it. And once, when a woman offered him respite after a battle, he neglectfully left the oven on and burnt the turnips.
I guess you forgot to mention that he climbed the said tree first, landed in home of some giant, stole from him and was treated as a hero as he came back. That's why he chopped the tree, so the giant couldn't go after him.
Or you forgot his brother and he had to drive 160 miles to Chicago, with a full tank of gas, a half packet of turnips but they were wearing sunglasses!
@@JulieWallis1963 Cuz they were on a mission from God??? 😁🤣😂
@@hollerinwoman yay! Good man, you got it 🥰🥰🥰
i know that last one MUST be fake. it was a man that offered him respite
Fun Fact: Leonardo also moonlighted as a ninja. That's why he knew so much about etiquette of assassination.
😂 a true Renaissance man
I spy an Assassin's Creed fan lol
@@Lionstar16 isn't that a reference to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?
@@CleverCover05 It is but I'm also referring to the 'assassination' being the Assassin's Creed video game
@@Lionstar16 ah, I guess. Cool. I do remember him being an adorable friend in that game.
You'll never change my mind that DaVinci built a space craft and discovered Tom Hanks.
On a positive note, I've never seen turnips looks so good and armoured 😊
Oh, and thanks for being awesome Max!
Just wait til you try a brussels sprout casserole au gratin
He saved Tom Hanks then T Hanks turned to him and T Hanks said "Thanks!"
Max really makes quality episodes weekly like a tv show all by himself and husband with the podcast/behind the scenes,It’s really cool don’t burn yourself out max ❤️
This video deserves a standing ovation. It is, as usual, masterfully conceived and produced. But it's also one of the best examples I've ever seen about how fake information can inflate into "reliable" stuff. Kudos to you, Max, for being a bright and inquisitive researcher.
And it wasn't the Victorians! .....this time 🥸
I went through this exact same process with the claims surrounding the “Bell Witch” haunting.
All of the sources led directly back to ONE single book written by an author unrelated to the family that was released well after everyone “involved” was dead (conveniently).
This isn’t even regarding if the haunting was supernatural in nature or easily explained-NONE of it actually happened. There are no contemporary sources from when the haunting supposedly took place. Not a single letter, newspaper article, diary, etc.
So unfortunately the debate over if it was a rEaL sPiRiT or not is dead in the water-none of it *ever even happened.*
Sometimes real life is like in Galaxy Quest when the alien thinks TV shows are historical documents.
See also: The Myrtles Plantation in Louisiana. Almost zero historical basis for any of it.
Believe it or not, Jack the Ripper probably falls into this category. His existence can only be attributed to letters that were allegedly sent by the killer to a single journalist. Otherwise the "Ripper murders"- based upon forensic analysis- were clearly perpetrated by different killers.
As an historian and a foodie, I generally enjoy your episodes - but I found this one particularly good, because of the way you go into historical methodology and critical reading of sources (and even included a self-correction, which I thought was especially honest of you). Keep up the good work!
"Don't believe everything you read on the internet." - Leonardo Da Vinci
After binge watching your episodes for days, the comment about the turnip that couldn't be peeled at around 5 minutes personally cemented your channel as the best UA-cam cooking channel EVER! 😂🤣😂🤣
Please don't ever change. What a treasure! Thank you for being you, especially now. Because of your lightheadedness, and candid honesty, and dedication to detail, you are transforming our current time into a history that will be much more palatable in the centuries to come. (Pun intended)
Many blessings to you!!!
Thank you for everything you do sir. You are one of the best on UA-cam. So glad you decided to stick with this instead of going back to Disney company.
I'm a new subscriber..... So, can u explain what was his previous job?
@@GrapevineTexas111 he used to be a performer for Disney cruise lines I believe.
@@GrapevineTexas111 He once played Prince Charming :)
He looks like a Prince Charming
@@Lionstar16 Let's use the correct language. He was "friends with" Prince Charming. If you know any Disney cast members, you know how strict they are about this.
I second you getting your own show on the history channel. Can't believe how dull and boring my history classes were. There's nothing boring about history except the way it's taught
I think the perceived dryness of the history classroom is at large part because the human mind respond much better to stories than to lists. The history lessons are constructed and delivered in a detached manner... Almost like reading from a list. There just aren't much room for personal (and often unverifiable) stories in there, when such stories may 'tie' the students attention and evoke wonder in them.
With infinite resources, combined subjects like this would do gangbusters in schools. History and cooking might both seem boring to a teenager, but combine them and you've got something weird and fascinating, while being solidly educational in both respects.
I agree. As a student History was one of my least favlourite subjects and now as an adult I find it fascinating
Max would never be able to get onto the history channel. For one, he's far too factually accurate, no way he can share space with shit like ancient aliens. Two, I don't think he's even touched on WWII yet, let alone linger over it the way the history channel does to the point where all of history might as well be the Stone Age, WWII, and Today. And lastly, he doesn't seem to be obligated to stop every five minutes to explain how the bible is 100% accurate with no symbolism or allegory.
It's the same as people telling Alec Steele to go on Forged in Fire. Tasting History is just too good of a program to sink that low.
I have said for years that history is just gossip that was too juicy to die. It's fun!
Ok so this Leo inventing the fork myth has reached a level I never thought possible. I taught elementary school English in the public school system in Korea for 5 years. My last year there, 2020, they had a new edition of the 5th and 6th grade books come out, and each unit had a history lesson in it, some were accurate, some definitely not, I was surprised how little fact checking by 3rd parties happened with this text book. Anyways I don't remember with grade, but one of them talked about Leonardo's inventions, and this textbook said he invented the fork and wrote a cookbook. Now I'm not the best at knowing the inventions of Da Vinci, but these both sounded super fishy to me, one small Google search reading both Wikipedia and actual academic articles debunked both, and it didn't take that long to find the info. I literally had my students write in both English and Korean in their textbook "not true" in big at the top of that page and I informed my fellow English teachers. I was like, it's a nice folktale, but it's not history, and it shouldn't be presented as such.
If only teachers treated biology like that.
@@aowi7280 what did he mean by this
@@TheDehlome In America everyone is fighting over sex and gender
@@GimmeShelterNM not true but okay
I never heard any of these da Vinci fake stories. Seems like much like the fake history joke book, it's limited to English speaking world. For now. I expect at least some of the falsehoods to slowly permeate through, because of cultural pull.
Max, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you giving us this glimpse into the complexity that is historiography. As you say, the internet really, truly muddies the waters when it comes to sourcing research. Thank you for setting an example of reading closely and verifying with primary sources rather than giving in to the very real temptation of a good but unverifiable story.
Please don't ever stop enjoying yourself while you do these! Your passion for history and food, and making sure the correct information is put out there, is a great service!
I wish I could afford your cookbook but I just had a baby lol! Hoping to save up for it, I want my daughter to love history and cooking as much as I do and be able to support you if even a little.
Congratulations on the baby! You watching the videos is enough support for me : )
4:17 That Cheese is clearly full of mold at the northern edge.
I am happy that you decided to go ahead with posting this episode, despite having some doubts beforehand about doing so. It's refreshing to see a social media influencer acknowledging the potential pitfalls of relying on sources (both printed and internet based), while also demonstrating a steadfast commitment to verify one's research ... and including the occasional correction.
As much as I love at least a hundred of your other videos, I consider this the most important one you've done so far. You have all the usual elements we crave, but you also bring out from behind the curtain the nuts and bolts of how you bring everything together. Most importantly, you demonstrate true responsibility by pointing out the sand that can gum up the machinery behind the curtain. You could've glossed over the whole quagmire with "There are stories that Leonardo did..." and kept going. Instead, you put in all the extra effort to remind us how important it is to pull back that curtain and acknowledge the weaknesses of the machinery. In this day and age, that's rare, and honorable, and more important than ever. Thank you.
he sleuthed it like a boss!
Beautifully said! I love every episode ever, but this might just be my favorite because of this!
I love it when content creators pull the curtain behind their own research process. It means everything just knowing that there _is_ a research process, which is more than can be said for some "educational" content.
A lot of things changed throughout history, but I'm glad that covering food in cheese to make it 10 times better stayed the same
😂
Made this today. (ok substituting the spices for some garam masala I had sitting around). It was one of the tastiest things I've eaten.
I also sliced the turnips before I cooked them. They cooked faster that way and I could get them into the casserole dish right away with some tongs.
Tried a half dozen of your recipes, but this one stands out. Will make this again. But I do want to try to make the turnips a little mushier next time. I was kind of missing the softness of a potato au gratin or a endive au gratin. I think even if it gets bitter (like endive au gratin), that may add another tasty layer of complexity to an already great dish.
As a teacher, I really appreciate this episode. We all learn from mistakes most of all, and there is zero problem talking about every step of the research process!
Oh man, so the TMNT cartoons I grew up with as a kid aren't based on the real adventures of Leonardo da Vinci? And here I was thinking that show was historically accurate...
😂
There is a new TMNT game that just came out. It plays like TMNT 4 and April is a fighter in this one.
I had the privileged teaching history for 15 years and I always stressed knowing where your sources come from, who wrote them and when and why they were written. Drove my students crazy! But it is a life lesson applicable to all information! Think critically!! I love your channel, content and that you keep the mistakes in regarding research and cooking! You keep it real!
I'm happy you decided to put this out. If anything it just shows how careful and thoroughly you research. We all love the shear amount of work you put into these each week :)
Its amazing the era ended without everyone's pants burnt to a crisp :)
The work you do is more than just entertaining. It is valuable and important, and I and others appreciate it. Debunking well-propagated falsehoods about history, not just with denial, but by actually doing the legwork to track down their origin and refute them, is something not done enough, not appreciated enough, and too often muddled with motives other than the pursuit of truth. You're a true student of history and a true entertainer, and a darn good cook, besides. Cheers!
Honestly, showing how hard it is to weed out the hearsay from the history is as much a vital role as reporting the history itself. It's also a good reminder that misinformation didn't start with The Internet.
Max, I discovered you just maybe two weeks ago and since I like history in general, your channel compliments my interest in hisstory. Keep at it.
I LOVE the fact that you're so determined to find the source. Most people today just re-Tweet whatever they see, regardless of it's accuracy. I'm totally with you!
Thank you for addressing this issue with misappropriation and the repetitive use of false, unverified information. As a writer whenever I do research I effort to cross reference because I want to correctly attribute, credit and be a part of the sharing of solid useful information. It's maddening how challenging that is! Especially with quotes. Great video too. You blend of food and history with natural charm and affability. Wow, I am in writer mode, lol. In short: you're cool
At one time I did find Vasari's book on renaissance painters. I had heard about it in college, but we never did read from it directly. When I tried to read it I realized why: it is a book of compliments. There began the myth of the renaissance man. They were all the best, all great and painted better than everybody else. They were GENIUSES! I can see how Vasari was praised by the collectors of such work, at the time. It was the greatest, best fluff piece in the history of art. He increased the value of Italian art of the time many fold.
Front cover of your cook book is beautiful and I can tell you really put everything into the book itself
Thank you! Can’t wait to see it on shelves.
Thank goodness you debunked the Leonardo- as - a - chef rumors. I'm quite the Leonardo fangirl and I have read a lot about him over the years. You were going on about Leonardo having a restaurant and so forth and I was like " Whaaat ? Where is Max getting all this ? I've never heard ANY of this before !" Not surprised at all it turned out to be an April Fool's Day joke.
I FEEL you on the difficulty of finding reputable sources for historical anecdotes. I run into the same problems when trying to research magical traditions, witch trials, and the roots of modern pagan beliefs. Cheers to you for doing your due diligence and being persistent! Can't wait to read your cookbook!
I have that book by Jonathan Routh! 😂 I bought it years ago as a present for my Dad. It was in the history section of the bookstore and I thought it sounded really interesting. I gave it to my Dad and a couple days later he told me "this book is a bit weird" I brought it back home and realized he was right, put it away and hadn't thought about it until today. I thought it was just a bad book, but now I realize it's a prank book!
Max, I'm so glad you made this video! I'm teaching a class in the fall on graduate research skills, and I'm definitely going to include this as an assignment for when we talk about the importance of assessing the validity of sources. You did an awesome job of tracking down not just what was wrong in the information you were reading, but also how it came to be wrong. And your edit from a week later is a fantastic example of the iterative nature of research. This is excellent scholarship, and it makes my professor/librarian heart happy! Thank you!!!
This episode is such a compelling look into the humility required to do Good History. Thanks, Max!
As a teacher, I want to say thank you for sharing your research process for this one. It's so important in this day and age to vet your resources, but for learners, it is also so crucial to acknowledge and correct errors when they occur, and to realize that everyone makes them. When we know better, we do better. Thank you, Max Miller! 😊
LOL, I always enjoy (and learn so much fabulous history!) from your videos and I use Closed Captioning. Today, I laughed out loud at 4:25am because when you (and all of us) giggled at the turnip, the CC said [Giggity] - 🤣😂😅🤣😂
Very cool for actually telling us when your research took a difficult turn. Helps everyone understand the real process of history.
The real process of research. Just reading it in the internet is not research.
I usually get $100 for my birthday from parents still. It's in September. Definitely buying your cook book! Me and gf love to watch while we eat dinner. I'm the main cook. So have wanted a cook book from you since I first saw your videos 😂
Thank you! And happy early birthday 🎂
@@TastingHistory thank you 🙂
How can I get a cook book?
I love the myths you put in! Maybe in the future if you run into them, you can have a little "tall tales" section! Thanks for all your time and effort. Love your videos!!
Ngl, the inserted correction of "guys, I screwed up, that quote is 99% mostl likely not something he said." Actually really worked with the episode. It actually really added to the entire episode's focus on trying to separate fact from fiction. Nothing says finding accurate historical sources is hard work like having to interject your own video with a correction that was discovered in post.
Honesty. So refreshing. Bloopers equal humility and self humor. Corrections equal further research and knowledge. Your book is going to be a joy. TY!
As I was working on my Master's in History I used to encounter these difficulties quite a lot. I'm glad you covered this subject, and really appreciate you leaving your mistake in. It perfectly highlights your point. I've got to add that the history of misinformation is often just as fascinating as the history of what actually happened!
It’s been said Leonardo Davinci invented the modern day conception of “loaved bread”.
.
.
.
by no one, except me just now.
😂 so that’s how these things get started
That was widely considered the greatest thing ever, until sliced bread was introduced by none other than Thomas Edison.
What's more astounding about Max's research going out of the way to separate fact from fiction is his extensive Pokémon plushie collection.
Oddish plushie is pretty hard to find.
Watching this (and commenting) belatedly, but I have to say that I really admire your academic rigor and all the effort you put into preparing your wonderful videos!
I LOVE that little dig at 0:02 🤣 absolutely true!
My first thought was when would he have had the time to run a restaurant? Apparently, none of those who have taken this stuff seriously asked themselves this.
I had the same thought. With all the other stuff he was up to, all the places he was going...when the heck did he have time? Clearly, he didn't. ^^
My first thought was that the concept of a restaurant as we know it today was invented in France around the time of the Revolution, and although there have always been comparable types of establishments that served food (such as inns and taverns), there certainly wouldn't have been such a thing as a "head chef" in Leonardo's time.
I love that you made this video. So much of what we read we take as fact. We absolutely have to look at the source! I would love to see more “false” history if you run across something this interesting again. Keep it up!
I didn't have turnips, so I made this with potatoes, but used the same spices, with fontina, mozzarella, and pecorino cheeses. It rocked.
Armoured Turnips is a mainstay in SCA feasts (pre-Covid). The wife's made it several times.
@@SimuLord Most people will eat anything if you put enough cheese on it.
My brother and his late wife were avid SCA members. He once had a 7 curse meal... pretty funny.
@@SimuLord that is a SCAdian level pun
@@sandralouth3103 most SCA feasts are around $10, there was a Coronation feast which cost $15 and it had 23 courses with sherberts and other palate cleansers in between the courses. My wife did a feast and wrote a mini-cookbook for it.
I feel for you vis-a-vis primary resources. It's so challenging on occasion to find verifiable sources for information, but you've done a great job, and I really appreciated your editorial insert! As for the recipe, I can't wait to try it. As you say, it's fairly straight forward, but I think it's a great way to use turnips, which aren't seen as often as they used to be. Thanks, Max, for all your efforts (and Jose's as well).
I felt for Max when he realized he was reading nonsense XD
The Victorians loved to "rewrite" bits of history. But at least they were ...honest/ obvious about it. Especially with such a legendary figure like da Vinci I can't imagine all the myths (lies! untruths!) out there.
I love gratins, especially with root veggies. The spices in this are different.
Newer subscriber here, and I just finished watching all the videos from oldest to newest! I first came for the history & food, but I stayed for the witty sarcasm & outright humor. You have made an incredible success out of something that sounds like started as a hobby built from a true interest. I am so impressed with what you have done, and I am a true fan now Max. GUT GEMACHT!
I’m glad you went ahead with the episode, it came out great (as always) and highlights the pitfalls of research. In college I had a professor who said there were three questions to ask when evaluating sources. 1. Who says? 2. How do they know? and 3. Why should they know?
Moving on from that, would love to see an episode of Alexander Dumas, pere, and his Grand Dictionnaire de cuisine.
I come across this problem a lot too when researching the history of different cheeses, especially with searching on the internet where many sites don't cite their sources. Thanks for keeping it real Max!
This is fantastic.
There is a Northern Italian dish that uses a potato•cabbage•cheese combination.
Can't wait to try this alternative.
I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your videos. I'm a history enthusiast like yourself and love how you educate with food. I have been watching you from the very beginning and hope you keep living your dream. We all enjoy watching you do it. It's inspiring.
Thank you so much!
Amazed at how quickly you can get 1200 comments. That said, I have to commend you on the integrity that you showed in this episode. That is rare in media as a whole these days and on the internet in particular. Well done!
Yours is quickly becoming my favorite channel on UA-cam. Always such a fascinating escape from contemporary problems. Never change that!
I'm a professional historian, with a doctorate in my area of research, and one of the things I most admire about this channel is the seriousness and accuracy with which the research for the episodes is carried out.
Fantastic work!
Congratulations!
I love nutmeg. When I make my macaroni and cheese with ham, I put nutmeg in my cheese sauce. It just adds something that makes it taste better to me. My family loves it, so that's what counts. I love your channel, and so does my youngest. He's in the Navy, and depending on where he's stationed he likes to cook his own meal. Some of your recipes have made great meals for him. Thanks for sharing.
Nutmeg is usually a good addition to cheese sauce.
I always add nutmeg to mashed potatoes
If you love nutmeg, you should definitely check out @Townsends channel here 😁
@@GiselleMFeuillet Beat me to it.
_Nutmeg intensifies_
I can appreciate your documentation of research, Max! Also...As a long-time medievalist, I can attest to the fact that you get used to nutmeg and cinnamon in your food. Really! This first time I tried "porcupined meat" (meatloaves with almond sliver quills), I was a bit taken aback. I was told that the spices masked the taste of possibly rotting or gamey meat. Of course in Acre (our supposed city-state), they added cloves. The more you eat of these spiced foods, the less of a surprise it is, till finally you come to expect it. I can taste it in my mouth now, and remember the raisin stuffing, filled with the scent of wine. Delightful!
so the inventor of the tank likes his turnips armored, a man of very specific tastes
I use nutmeg and cinnamon on top of the bechamel sauce when I make moussaka. I layer eggplant and potato (and sometimes ground lamb) and it really tastes a lot like the flavours that you are describing here. Nutmeg and cheese, for the win!! Thanks for another fantastic, informative episode, Max!
I love watching the left of the screen in every video to see which Pokémon plush or figure Max has used for the background today.
Also, Oddish is the PERFECT choice for a turnip episode. Nailed it.
Within my medieval reenactment group we have made this dish a few times. Personally I am not a fan, I like all the individual ingredients but not together. But I adore the amount of effort and research you put into all your videos. Keep it up.
"We all fail. We all make mistakes" -definitely Max Miller
Your dedication to the product and to the audience is one of the things we love about you, Max, so here's to hope for less hesitation and heartburn over whether or not to publish the heartbreaking truth when it all falls down.
It is painful to think that a literal april fools gag has since been considered as a viable source of information on the Maestro. I have to wonfer if it didnt gain some traction because of Leonardo's brief surge in popularity during the run of Assassin's Creed 2 amd Brotherhood, as he appears as a supporting character.
It really should go to show everyone how tricky it can be to find good sources when even someone as well-read and intelligent as our beloved Mr. Miller are sometimes fooled! Great video, I appreciate you giving us a little peak behind the curtain so to speak :)
I think I'd probably really like this recipe. When I make potatoes au gratin or whatever, I usually use a cream sauce flavoured with nutmeg and cheddar cheese. I appreciate your videos for the interesting recipes and historical tidbits - even if they are questionable. It is a learning experience for all of us!
Fun fact
May not be accurate but it sure made a career for Buzzfeed
Seriously 😆
The name ‘armoured turnip’ brings to mind a glorious image.
If this isn’t an illumination on a manuscript somewhere I’d be surprised.
Someone has got to send that prompt to Dall-E.
I CAN’T WAIT until someone comes up to me and tells me that DaVinci created a 200ft long edible altar for the wedding of the Duke of Milan that got eaten by rats the night before the ceremony
Boy, that would require a LOT of rats to polish off a 200 ft altar overnight!
Time to call the Pied Piper of Hamelin!
Edited for spelling of Piper
I'm now prepared for what will certainly prove to be an extremely common situation to be in.
"May be ruinous to your lower regions" is such a beautiful line.
How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.
This was a really interesting episode. Thank you for doing your due diligence and finding the facts. I love watching Tasting History because of the in depth delve into history and the history of food.
I love all of your videos, but as a high school history teacher this is now my favorite!
Thank you for being a HS history teacher. It’s so important.
When I lived in Germany, I worked on a farm. The grandmother was the one who did all the cooking, and I would eat with the family during meals. The cheese sauce she made for potatoes always had cinnamon and nutmeg in it. It was amazing!
Thank you! It makes me happy when creators with large platforms incorporate warnings about misinformation to their audience.
It was so important that you made this video!! People often forget, that not everything on the internet is true, even if you do your research. Thank you for showing that fact-checking is important💪
This may be your finest episode yet. So well done. So thoughtful.
Let's keep in mind, the dietary restraints of being Roman Orthodox (Catholic) during any day or age, which includes many periods of fasting (and feasting). The most obvious and longest fast of the year is Lent of course, but even the modern Orthodox calendar recommends fasting days on many days of the year. A fasting day allows the faithful only vegetarian fare, so DaVinci would almost certainly been following this recommendation. Fish is considered vegetarian in most Orthodox (Catholic) churches and is allowed on some days when actual meat is not, which is why McDonald's offers a fish sandwich. Speaking of Tasting History. If you'd like an idea of the Christian dietary calendar, just stop by a Catholic or Orthodox church near you, or visit the website of one. The Eastern Orthodox church I sometimes attend attaches a calendar with fasting and feasting days annotated in their monthly newsletter.
So sick of seeing misinformation about history online, so this video is an absolute delight ❤❤❤
As always, an outstanding job. It's always interesting to hear history desconstructed/corrected, no matter whether it's a person/place/thing. Hears a lot about Leonardo over the years, so it's nice to learn even more about his life.
I absolutely love the courage you took in posting this video regardless of your struggles and the true artistry that goes into each of these videos is incredibly impressive to me. It's always such fun just putting on a playlist of your videos. As a fellow actor and passionate thespian i absolutely relate to you and look up to you as rather an inspiration and a friend. Thank you for everything!!!
Thank you for posting this episode, Max! Especially the edit clip! For one, the episode was a delight, as you work always is, and for another, it sets you apart as a trusted source (insofar as anyone can be). You have cemented your viability and integrity as a researcher and teacher. Thank you indeed! You are a delight and a joy!
Dude this channel is so excellent. It always make me happy. Thanks for occupying this little corner of the internet. It’s the best.
When a vegetable has to turn up looking like a peach 🍑
Seem like ol' Leo was the OG of the moniker "The man, the myth, the legend."
5:00-5:07 LOL! Is it just me or did that funny shaped turnip remind anyone else of the. Blackadder episode where Baldrick & Percy find a turnip shaped like a 'thingy'. 🤣
What an interesting episode! I loved how you showed us your process of discovery and discussed a "meta" topic (how history writing is sometimes a collection of perpetuated errors and myths). Also, this recipe is similar to a dish I make with kohlrabi, another great substitute for potatoes au gratin.