I'm in southern England, and my local bakery will label any accidentally over-cooked products as "King Alfred Loaves" (or scones etc) and sell them cheap. Doesn't happen that often but I love that bit of history!

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

That’s amazing! I love that.

@mrsfolkartist76

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you! That's very interesting!

@PlayaSinNombre

3 жыл бұрын

Brilliant!

@mcfarofinha134

3 жыл бұрын

@Andoc let me guess, this is your poor attempt at some social commentary. You bloody failed, please step away from the computer or mobile device, and get some therapy to fix your sad sad life. Maybe after that you'll have some friends.

@shockingheaven

3 жыл бұрын

Sounds great!

Toast those oats first before you mix them and you'll get that delicious caramelized flavor without flipping disasters. :D

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

Now you tell me 🤣

@moominbum

3 жыл бұрын

i pre-toast oats for english flapjacks but for this recipe i'd personally oven bake, then toast in the skillet to form the charred crust

@ThisIsYourOnlyWarning

3 жыл бұрын

Toast the oats, then oven bake

@karenvillarosa9261

3 жыл бұрын

Me too I toast my oats for an entirely different reason. Because I never liked the taste of unevenly cooked/raw oats! I can taste the slight toastiness too when it is added in any baked goods. Especially cookies.

@comesahorseman

3 жыл бұрын

Yep.When I brew oatmeal stout I toast the oats lightly before mashing them; the ale then has a slight oatmeal cookie flavor. See "Radical Brewing" by Randy Mosher.

Poor Alfred, his life was falling apart and he just wants oatmeal cookies.

@Lara-xu3yc

3 жыл бұрын

Cakes

@kayfrenly5460

3 жыл бұрын

Little known fact. Alfred was actually black. Heard the truth at a BLM peaceful protest. I think all the false depictions of him should be destroyed and replaced with accurate ones.

@Lara-xu3yc

3 жыл бұрын

@@kayfrenly5460 tried to find proof of that and there is seemingly nothing to prove it as fact

@RandomnessCreates

3 жыл бұрын

@@kayfrenly5460 So you're saying burning cookies is a Black thing?

@DeanMetalAngel666

3 жыл бұрын

@@kayfrenly5460 Whether Alfred was or wasn't black (I haven't found any evidence to it as of yet either), the only Roman Emperor that ever made an incursion into Britain which gained so much ground that they managed a campaign into Scotland was actually an African; specifically from the area of Leptis Magna in what is now Libya and he was known by the name of Septimius Severus.

- Not a Professional Historian - Not a professional chef I feel deceived. If you hadn't told me I'd have thought you were a professional food historian with a culinary background! Really speaks to the care and research done for these videos, I love it!

@Kaosbabe161

4 жыл бұрын

and his style and rhetoric are so unequivocally pedantic and eloquent as well!

@walter-vq1fw

4 жыл бұрын

Also speaks to the time we live in. All this info at the tip of our fingers. Even MIT has free course ware

@mrs.schmenkman

4 жыл бұрын

Check out Townsends Channel. They specialize in 18th century because they are actually lifelong re-enactors.

@LBrobie

4 жыл бұрын

right?! now i'm even more intrigued. he said he was furloughed from his job which is why he started this channel... so, what the heck IS he?? not a chef, not a teacher... Hmmm... inquiring minds want to know!

@pscar1

4 жыл бұрын

I second the Townsend channel. If you like this one, you will like that one, too.

I grew up in Wantage, the birthplace of King Alfred, and we were always taught the cakes would have been like pancakes or scones. This is probably baseless and without any historical rigour, but I thought you might like to know. Our statue of Alfred is less warlike, he holds the scrolls of the law instead of the sword, though he has an axe resting against his feet, showing his readiness to fight.

@fiddlesticks7245

3 жыл бұрын

Alfred was awesome, he spread literacy across his kingdom and brought dozens of scholars into his court to educate himself and his courtiers, learned Latin and helped translate books into the Anglo-Saxon's language, and despite all that nerd stuff he smashed the danes and forced their leader to convert. Cool dude

@lukasmakarios4998

3 жыл бұрын

I would LOVE to see that statue. King Alfred is my favourite of England's monarchs.

@benjaminbaumgart3935

3 жыл бұрын

Fascinating!

@connordickerson6815

2 жыл бұрын

@@fiddlesticks7245 an amazing man who truly earned the title of great, one of the best kings england has even had over a span of more then 1000 year's!!

@mouseketeery

2 жыл бұрын

@@lukasmakarios4998 A (very!) late reply, but just Google "Statue of King Alfred Wantage" - lots of pics in good light. A nice plaque too.

I am a professional historian and a trained chef and found this completely delightful! Thank you.

@candyclaws7693

Жыл бұрын

you are doing my dream job, how does one accomplish that?

The Garum video was the first one I've watched. I'm glad the algorithm brought your channel to me.

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

I’m so glad it did too! 😁

@DH-xw6jp

4 жыл бұрын

Same, been bingeing them all

@aidanfarnan4683

4 жыл бұрын

Likewise

@fishsauce2221

4 жыл бұрын

@@jxslayz6663 If you made a previous comment than it's been deleted.

@fishsauce2221

4 жыл бұрын

Me too. Garum reminded me of Swedish Surströmming. Warning: Do not open the can inside. Always open it outside away from anything living. It taste okay if you can get passed the smell. Lets just say there's a reason snaps is served along side surströmming. It's so you can get drunk enough to not care about the smell. Iceland have their version of fermented fish too. Fermented shark. Here's a detail you didn't want to know nor ask for: I sadly don't need to imagine how it is to make out with someone who have just eaten some. Making out with a corpse comes to mind. (The smell from the mouth). When I realized my terrible mistake I took another snaps, okay it was more than one, and went lower with my mouth. It was going there sooner or later anyways. Lesson learned: Always keep track of who is eating surströmming. During the surströmming eating festival I can't believe I married her. I scream WHY?! in my head when she turn to face me with that breath. In my opinion: If you really hate someone then send them a can of surströmming and tell them to open it inside their home.

I would suggest that you continue to keep the "whoops" moments in. It shows the complications that tend to happen, informs those that are going to make a recipe and adds a little comedy.

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

There are plenty of whoops moments in my cooking 🤣

@celticlass8573

4 жыл бұрын

@@TastingHistory That's how we learn...AND how we make pleasant discoveries! Like how I expect clotted cream came into existence--you KNOW someone put out new cream in the sun one hot day, just for a second, then remembered it many hours later, ran back out, and was all, "Something's happened...let's taste it!"

@Trismegustis

4 жыл бұрын

@@TastingHistory I like that you're human. You get little moments of human connection with King Alfred, and we get those same moments with you. Brings us together, I think.

@nancyware7282

3 жыл бұрын

@@celticlass8573 "Something's happened... Let's taste it! You know we have only one cow and cannot afford to waste one drop of milk or one smear of cream, much less the entire bowlful! So go on then, eat it up!"

@nancyware7282

3 жыл бұрын

@@TastingHistory Leaving in the "whoops" moments shows us just how we can go wrong, and hopefully avoid doing do. But don't worry, we'll find our own ways to go "whoops" LOL

Learning about king Alfred was even more interesting than the cakes. Thanks for the video

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

Then my work here is done 😁. My goal is to make history interesting, so thank you.

@Elleoaqua

3 жыл бұрын

@@TastingHistory I love Bernard Cornwell's King Alfred in the Last Kingdom Series

@kathleensiegrist1457

2 жыл бұрын

The Last Kingdom Rocks!! Love it! King Alfred was a very interesting person

As someone from the Midlands, I did not expect to see our flat oatcakes featured in a US historical cooking show! Good work sir, I’ll have to give this recipe a try.

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

I tried them once when I was in shropshire (or possibly it was the Lake District). If you have a good recipe for them, I’d love to take a gander.

@ellehan3003

4 жыл бұрын

The best oat cakes are from stoke on Trent. I always just put cheese in theyre delicious

@casinodelonge

3 жыл бұрын

@@ellehan3003 bacon and cheese outcakes, yum, I believe there is a narrowboat that plies the canals of the area dispensing fresh oatcakes.

@casinodelonge

3 жыл бұрын

@@TastingHistory Hopefully it was Staffordshire!!

@jeanettegant4945

2 жыл бұрын

Staffordshire oatcakes for wrapping bacon and cheese, mmmm. Can we still get them?

I made these today. They're tasty as hell. I'm not surprised the old lady gave Alfred hell for letting them burn. Like an incredibly buttery oatmeal cookie.

@kck9742

4 жыл бұрын

I'm definitely going to try these -- always trying to find easy, portable, but healthy breakfasts for workday mornings.

Alfred truly deserves the title "the Great". His care for his people and his devotion to learning and education was astonishingly ahead of his time, apart from everything else he accomplished.

@woodsplitter3274

3 жыл бұрын

The only British ruler with such a sobriquet.

@thenablade858

3 ай бұрын

@@woodsplitter3274 Cnut too. He was the Danish king of England. Alongside Alfred, I would say he was the greatest ruler of the Anglo-Saxon era (England also had a Dutch king William III, husband of Mary II, and he wasn’t bad either).

God, I love this channel.

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@BFGUITAR

4 жыл бұрын

@@TastingHistory Same! I have really gotten into make historical foods. If you really want a cool food to delve in to, check out "cholent" or "hamin" or "t'bit" (all the same thing, depending on location). It's a style of cooking done by Jews on the Sabbath. Because you cannot make a fire to cook your food on the Sabbath, towns would have a central ovens that everyone would use starting Friday night and would keep hot until the next day. Pots of food from different families would be left in the oven until lunch when it would be picked up for a slow cooked, hot lunch meal. And even until today, people still eat this stuff (although they make it at home). The dish is probably thousands of years old!

@caxe7

4 жыл бұрын

same here!!!! Ive just found this channel and have been bingieng it all day

@RodCornholio

4 жыл бұрын

@@TastingHistory What's your tech setup? Camera, lighting, and sound. You'll be getting a bunch of these questions, so is there a link to the answer?

@amihanathabagat

4 жыл бұрын

Me too, love you, Max Miller!

"Clearly if you had not become a saint, you had done something wrong" Yes, that is indeed how it usually goes.

@TakeUpYourCross

4 жыл бұрын

Yes, quite.

@merindymorgenson3184

4 жыл бұрын

Maybe a lot of things 😂

@lhfirex

3 жыл бұрын

My favorite Saint is St. Pauli Girl.

@chrism7395

3 жыл бұрын

I was told that the reason Cornwall has so many unofficial Saints (nearly 60 of them) is that the local people really engaged with the concept of Saints (possibly repurposing existing local myths) that they assumed that every passing Christian missionary must be a Saint or they wouldn't have come to the area. No doubt the missionaries didn't correct them as it made their job easier!

@kyrab7914

3 жыл бұрын

I like your name

I'm British, and it's really weird seeing food that I eat fairly regularly being described as "historical", hahahaha. My family makes something very, very similar called a flapjack- we do it as a tray-bake and cut them into bars to take to work. We'll often use golden syrup instead of honey, and I like mine with chopped nuts 👌

@matthewnunya8483

4 жыл бұрын

😂😂 if it makes you feel any better i had to look up golden syrup........if i get to trying this recipe i made add some maple syrup instead

@StacyL.

3 жыл бұрын

In the United States, a flapjack is another name for a pancake 🥞

@clockworkmonsters8590

3 жыл бұрын

@@matthewnunya8483 If you do use maple syrup, bare in mind that typically, both golden syrup and honey are quite a bit thicker and more potent in terms of sickly sweetness, so they might not hold together as well without the stickiness of something thicker

@jeanettegant4945

2 жыл бұрын

Can't find Lyle's Golden Syrup in France, so I live a sad life sans flapjacks.

@JD-vv2qp

2 жыл бұрын

@@jeanettegant4945 I've often seen it called Inverted Sugar Syrup- you might be able to find it under that name

As Englishman it makes me happy to hear you say it's your favourite period of history. It's certainly part of mine, from the fall of the Western Roman Empire until the rise of the Medieval kingdoms. Love it.

I saw Oatcakes in the title and had to watch. I absolutely love oatcakes and have a very old recipe that's been handed down through my mother's family for generations. One big difference between mine and the recipe that's being used, is that we use lard rather then butter. Lard was just easier to come by in the Scottish Highlands. These are perfect for tea time with honey or jams! I really recommend that everyone should at least try them once.

@runenummedal6957

2 жыл бұрын

I'm Norwegian, and my mother has been making a very very similar kind of oat cake for Christmas for as long as I can remember. Family tradition. Can't remember seeing them anywhere else though. She got the recipe from her mother, but I'm not sure how far back in the family it goes. But apparently the tradition of baking similar oat cakes goes back more than a thousand years! That's fascinating! I love the continuity of such things! And at some obscure point in time my family turned it into a Christmas tradition 😎

@SingingSealRiana

2 жыл бұрын

@@runenummedal6957 I know that as a scandinavian chrismas tradition, though I do not know from where . . .

@carolynlindblad3140

2 жыл бұрын

@@runenummedal6957 I'm an American who is the descendant of Swedish immigrants that emigrated to Sweden 20 years ago. When I was a young woman I happened upon a cookbook from the 1960's for Scandinavian recipes (from Minnesota, where many Scanis settled at the time). It is filled with similar recipes and things that I think our ancestors had as their daily meals- though I confess to never being tempted to make cooked sheep's head. I'll stick to lussebullar and klenätter. I also eat sill and strömming but never ever never surströmming or rakfisk. I once ate lutfisk as a child by accident and never ever never again.

Maybe I'm showing my age, but am I the only person who's noticed that there's a different pokemon in the background in different videos?

@empneoskia

4 жыл бұрын

Nope, spotted that too. Magikarp > Eevee 4 lyfe

@deathpig.9847

4 жыл бұрын

Ha only a dumb millennial would notice different Pokemon and know eevee by na... No u

@KelseyDrummer

4 жыл бұрын

Omg I feel like a knob, I completely missed that!

@korinnab.2318

4 жыл бұрын

I did!

@Adamswoodworking

4 жыл бұрын

Achillea yah saw that a while back hahaha

I made these. Tips: These stir up up very easily; quick to make, just use a spoon. I needed ¾ c. flour. If you're used to frying crumbly mixtures, you know to drop them by large rounded spoonfuls into the melted butter in the frying pan, then flatten them out a little. Keep a close eye on them, they scorch incredibly fast. A little bit of blackening actually does make them taste better. Put the extras in the fridge and they will firm up and be useful for breakfast in the morning.

I love the Alfred story... it shows him (or intends to show him) as a respectful guy who's humble enough to apologize for screwing up something that was probably considered women's work. I'm always looking for tasty, portable breakfasts for work mornings, and I definitely think these would be great!

@celticlass8573

4 жыл бұрын

I'm going to make them too. I love Scottish oat cakes (dipped in tea), so I'm looking forward to it. Plus they'll be cheap to make!

@CailinRuaAnChead

3 жыл бұрын

This is basically a flapjack, and they are excellent breakfast food

@celticlass8573

3 жыл бұрын

@@CailinRuaAnChead What's a flapjack? Is it a pancake? I've heard the term a few times, but it's not a thing here.

@CailinRuaAnChead

3 жыл бұрын

@@celticlass8573 its basically this recipe but pressed into a deep square/ rectangular baking tray and baked. Then cut into squares or bars. They're really good. Sometimes they're topped with a layer of chocolate or have coco mixed in before they're baked

@celticlass8573

3 жыл бұрын

@@CailinRuaAnChead Oooooooh! That sounds delicious!

This makes me want to load up Crusader Kings 2 with a plate of steaming oatcakes beside me!

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

What else do you have to do during quarantine?

@oohforf6375

4 жыл бұрын

@@TastingHistory Hah well I work at a grocery store so I'm an essential worker, but that means I can easily get the ingredients for these recipes with no lineups!

@HuevoBendito

4 жыл бұрын

If my high Intrigue runs have taught me anything, think I will play CKII with... gingersnaps.

@wingy200

4 жыл бұрын

Why is my brother sleeping with my wife and my(?) daughter while trying to kidnap me and sacrifice me to Satan? Oh well. These oat cakes are the bomb!

@Azaghal1988

4 жыл бұрын

@@wingy200 i see you know the game well!

OK, the real question everyone wants to know is: HOW MANY POKEMON PLUSHIES DO YOU HAVE??

@healinggrounds19

4 жыл бұрын

@@scottgoodman8993 rude

@nancyware7282

3 жыл бұрын

I saw that he was putting out different plushies, but I didn't know they were Pokemons.

@gigidodson

3 жыл бұрын

A lot.

@TheCrazyb56

3 жыл бұрын

He was asked in the recent Townsend's livestream and he said he didn't know but it at least was over a hundred plushies. They may not all be pokemon though I can't remember.

This is so neat! I caught the genealogy bug a few years ago, and so I know that Aelfred Aethling, also known as Alfred the Great, is my great^34-grandfather. So this is actually a bit of family history!

I just made these today, using date paste instead of the honey and chopped fruit, and coconut oil and vegetable shortening instead of the butter. They were fantastic! Wonderfully sweet and rich. My husband already asked me to make them again. Thank you! (Thank you especially for putting the amounts of ingredients in grams! Made it super easy with my kitchen scale.)

I see someone already mentioned toasting your oats first. Also in the USA there is Bob's Red Mill Scottish Oatmeal which is GROUND in a stone mill, not ROLLED and is more authentic to those times than the flat rolled oats which came a lot later. Toast the oatmeal in a dry skillet stirring constantly until you can see the color start to darken and smell the nut like aroma, remove form the skillet, let cool and store in an air tight container or in the fridge. Believe me you won't want to eat those pasty rolled oats again unless they are also toasted. In Europe (and the US) there is McCann's, and another one whose name escapes me at the moment, which also produce STEEL CUT oats and are also good. By the way while not oatcake related but just a little bit of curious info: people also toasted bread because they found it lasted longer than fresh bread which could get moldy rather quickly. In Crete they even have a special DRIED BREAD which keeps forever. Which as far as I know you can't eat as is but is meant to be crumbled into soups and stews.

@mistersilly9012

Жыл бұрын

additionally, rolled oats are pre-steamed and probably too modern to be traditional. i do wonder this factor explains the difficulty of keeping the cakes intact. and also whether maybe it was normal to add a little water

Mr. Miller, your channel is a real gem. You're quite the scholar, one can tell you've done a really good job researching your subject matter. And your style is really nice: entertaining and informative in equal measures. Also, your music choices are great. Thank you so much, sir. Keep it up 🙏

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you. I do only put music in that I love 😁

The account of King Alfred, the swineherd's wife, and the oatcakes was in my sixth-grade ancient history textbook, and I've been a fan of Alfred ever since! He wasn't a great fry cook, but he was a great leader who supported the use and teaching of the English language and also of Latin which endured the Danish and the Norman French conquerors to produce Chaucer and Shakespeare and make English the most often spoken first or second language on the planet. There's another crackerjack of a story (possibly apocryphal, of course), that as the Danes were pursuing Alfred's scattered army, he was almost discovered in the marsh, escaping capture by breaking off a hollow reed, submerging himself, and breathing through it until his pursuers left the area.

@MariaMartinez-researcher

4 жыл бұрын

Spanish became also the most widely spoken language at the same time, and for the same reasons. Conquests.

@stephennelson4954

4 жыл бұрын

I would highly advise you look up some etymological channels because I learned so much more about my birth language (Americanized English) than I thought possible. For example one of the reasons why English is so enduring is because of the usage of loan words like Hurricane, schadenfreude, faux pas, kitschy, alter ego, etc.

@iforbach4003

4 жыл бұрын

@@stephennelson4954 do you have any channel recommendations for that? I love that kind of thing.

@stephennelson4954

4 жыл бұрын

@@iforbach4003 I can't remember the specific name but there is a channel that's done a five part series on the basics of the English language.

@iforbach4003

4 жыл бұрын

@@stephennelson4954 no worries I think I know which one it is. Thanks.

I'd love to have dinner at this mans house and learn the history of the dish that sits infront of me. Hats off to you my good sir.

I tracked my family name back to its Anglo Saxon roots, found out my oldest known ancestor is Adam Prescot* DeParres, (* anglo-saxon for "priest cottage") my maiden name being "Parr" I am fascinated with the history and culture of my oldest known ancestors! You got me pumped about history!! Great work on these videos, your excitement is contagious :)

@williamjordan5554

3 жыл бұрын

DeParres sounds like a Norman French name. They took over England in 1066. Names like Roger, Richard, William, Montgomery, Leroy, even Disney were Norman French names.

@shane8037

3 жыл бұрын

@@williamjordan5554 She's talking about Prescot, not the French name.

@teresahiggs4896

3 жыл бұрын

My MIL traced my paternal family and she got as far as William Disney came to Pennsylvania from Great Britain in the 1600’s ( I can’t remember the exact date ) . I’d love to know more about where he came from . I found the name Disney is from “de Isney,” And Isney is a village in Normandy , known for fine dairy products. . So I don’t know if my ancestor was British of French decent or French just passing through Britain on the way to America. I’d love to know. But I love historical recipes and making historical,foods.

@brianaschmidt910

Жыл бұрын

Catherine Parr?

I love how you're always so forgiving and real you are, it really inspires me to try these recipes without the need to make them "historically accurate" or "perfect".

Love your channel man, you didnt over cook then just made them "King Alfred Style"

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

😁

Skillet for the win. Yeah, you can't tune out, but watch carefully. And you burn a lot of oak cakes learning the combination of setting of your stove and time. You might want to back down the heat one notch so the cakes don't burn so fast. SCA on a gas camp stove on a griddle. I let others figure out how to do it in ashes. Though Townsend cooks them that way. He's hardcore.

These turned out great. I cooked mine on a griddle and used dried cherries instead of apricots. Thanks for the recipe 👍

I LOVE that your channel showed up in my KZread recommendations! I started with the Roman loaf bread, and 7 episodes later, I figure I should leave a comment in appreciation. I, too, love food and history, but I also love your storytime-like delivery, and the occasional "oops!" moments that make your content so joy-inducing and relatable. Your show is a welcome island of fun and curiosity surrounding food, and I actually caught myself smiling while watching these! I haven't had a good smile watching many cooking/food shows on network TV channels in years. Keep up the great work, Max; I look forward to many more of your episodes. Cheers!

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you, Ryan! 😁

@carolharris2357

Жыл бұрын

I know, why wasn't it in my recommendations before?

@LarryJohnVA

Жыл бұрын

Historically speaking, I've always had an interest in history, but have not been all that fond of 'cooking' videos. However, from the first of your videos I watched (after it was suggested by KZread just a week or two ago), I've been hooked! Your videos are of great quality, featuring interesting/unusual foods, plus the fascinating, well-researched related history. And although I don't know how most of those foreign names or words are supposed to be pronounced, you surely sound like you're saying them correctly! (I do know the British names, having visited aunts & uncles there numerous times in the 1970s & 1980s, and you're spot on with them--a rarity among other American presenters.) Looking forward to many more great videos, although I'm still working my way through your extensive back catalogue! Cheers from Virginia! 🙂

We have a similar recipe, we do call it Knursp (like the pokémon-treat. My sister and I were the coolest kids in class since we called them Knursp instead of selfmade cereal bars. For 5 minutes.) Oats, chopped nuts (we use mostly walnuts, sometimes cashew and almonds), dried fruit (we prefer dates and cranberries, also chopped/minced) and fresh banana. Munch the banana and add all the other ingredients until you have a sticky and thick mass. We use an icecream-portioner (the thing which is used to shape icecream to balls) and fill it tightly inside. Then we can just push the integrated lever in this thing and have pretty perfect half globes and put them on baking sheets. Toss them in the oven for 15-20 Minutes, around 160-180°C or until they are as brown as you like them. Take them off the fire and with or without cooling, depending on your preference, serve them forth. ♥

I made these today, taking advice from other commenters to toast the oats first so I could have toasty oat flavor but bake them in the oven. They turned out delicious! Like my own round granola bars. Dried cherries are a delightful flavor to go with the oats and mild amount of honey.

*eats oatcakes* DESTINY IS ALL.

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

Wyrd bið ful aræd

I think it's very telling that this video only has seven dislikes. What a delightful little channel with such sincerely engaging and comfortable content. I hope you enjoy yourself making these as much as it seems you do, and I hope that you don't stop until there's simply no food left.

This is a brilliant idea to make history accessible and you do a wonderful job with the narrative. I hope you'e surrounded by folks that enjoy your experiments in the kitchen!

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you! They at least put up with the experiments 🤣

@SombreroPharoah

2 жыл бұрын

@@TastingHistory One historical tid that could help future recipes from Brit Isles esp, is we did have spices you needn't substitute or negate region/era. I work as a Herbalist, Forager and with it learnt a ton of botanical history and Lore. They would have cinnamon. Or atleast a herb the same. Wood Avens Roots. Wash, dry, voila Cinnamon with airs of Clove. So that flavour wasn't alien to our Isles, but actually a very common one and not just for nobles either. It was even used medicinally for the same reasons cinnamon and cloves are, including even chewing for toothache, oft with a pinch of Dwale leaf for extra pain relief and mild narcotic effect.

While you were telling the story I was thinking and zoned out. I'm convinced that I must be descended from King Alfred haha.

the oatcake story is so random and mundane I feel like it might be true..

Moral of the story: they burn. Ha! Well now I'm going to have to try baking followed by a toss in the skillet to crisp - best of both worlds.

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

That’s actually a really good idea!

@pendlera2959

4 жыл бұрын

@@TastingHistory Maybe try cooking them with some oil or butter to spread the heat out a bit more.

You have such an amazing way of teaching history and cooking at the same time, while constantly being highly entertaining and amusing. "The woman in the story wouldnt actually have had cinnamon....but its good soooooo.."

My favourite period is the Anglo Saxon period too! I don't know whether you've spent much time up north, but the kingdom of Northumbria is worth a visit next time you're in England :) Also, Alfred is my favourite king! A true statesman, a wise scholar, a great warrior but not a warmonger, pious and loyal to his subects! Mind you, people who commission their own biographies often seem to be...

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

While I’ve spent time in the north, I haven’t since I really started to study the Anglo Saxons. I need to get back there and will appreciate it so much more than I did in the past.

I grew up in a very rural part of eastern Kentucky. My family made a very similar oat cake but used ground oats, whole oats, honey, butter and dried apples (that we dried ourselves on the windowsill). My family’s ancestors are all from England and Ireland. Our parents did one of those DNA kits and it turns out we don’t have even a drop of genetics that deviate from those regions even though my family migrated to America in the 1600s. My family has a lot of traditions passed down that I thought were uniquely “weird things my family does” till I met my Welsh friend in college and found out that our traditions are very similar.

I told an Anglo Saxon girl "Ic wille þin swetmetas bitan" She slapped me.

@hectorpascal

3 жыл бұрын

but then she said : "Hwæt dest þu for gamne? Hæfst þu bur?" :))

I love your extreme amount of excitement for history, makes me want to push you into a locker. But like, in a friendly way...

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

🤣

I made these last night. I used black currants for the fruit, which grow all over Britain. I also used cinnamon because, why not? Despite the huge quantity of honey in these, which I assumed would hold everything together like glue, they were really difficult to form into little patties. Ultimately, I had to form them into balls, let them bake for a while, then flatten them out as they warmed up. Warming them up seemed to make them stickier and hold better. I used spelt flour instead of oat or white flour. In the end they taste wonderful and are better than most oatmeal cookies I've had. They're also pretty healthy all things considered.

There's a story by the author Guy Gavriel Kay called "Last light of the Sun" that is essentially about King Albert but set in a low fantasy setting (ie there are some fantastical elements).

@SonofSethoitae

4 жыл бұрын

Historical fantasy is Guy Gavriel Kay's bread and butter, fortunately he's very good at it

@slwrabbits

2 жыл бұрын

Oh, I didn't know there was an historical figure behind that one! Cool.

man this is really cool. I just finished watching The Last Kingdom and I can totally imagine Alfred and Ealhswith sharing some Oatcakes

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

I miss Alfred on the show. Once I’m done with season 4, I’ll have to go back to the beginning.

@mariaap1032

3 жыл бұрын

@@TastingHistory Me too 😅

I see Eevee! I read "Anglo-Saxon Outtakes" and wasn't sure what to expect.

Just a little bit of history for you - the cakes burnt at Athelney were made of Flour from king-O-Mill in Somerset. The mill is on the family farm.

King Alfred is clearly a born educator! That excitement over learning!

Just a random voice from Hastings (yes, THAT Hastings) chiming in to thank you for this vid! Missed these cakes since I moved abroad - going to follow this recipe and get back to my roots. Ta!

Wtf. 2 or so days ago I commented on another video stating that my current favorite KZread channel (this one, obviously) and my current favorite game (CK3) were in one place for a vid and it made me so happy. AND NOW MY FAVORITE SHOW OF ALL TIME HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE MIX. I'm gonna cry.

I just wrapped up AC Valhalla, and, minor spoilers, was geeking out when they actually referenced and used the cake story in game. I never would have known otherwise, thanks Max!

I made them and they're delicious!!! I used medium low heat on my gas stove for better control!

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

I think you are probably right to use the lower temperature. Glad they turned out well!

I have made these several times, a favorite here now! Delicious and gluten free. :) You can make them with many kinds of flour, but I find that I need to add 1-1/2c oat flour instead of 1/2c flour to form patties. I could be doing something wrong, of course, but with the extra flour, they are still delicious. I add dates and walnuts instead of apricots.

I love that you mentioned Bernard Cromwell in the description too as well as the show. They're both great!

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

The books are so good!

God I love this channel. It was basically by accident that I searched garrum and saw your video. Thank god I did because now I can enjoy bother history and cooking at the same time!

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you! So glad you’re enjoying.

I feel like cooking it over ashes gives it a very nice smokey flavour. Back home it was pretty common to see people selling chipa and tortillas santiagueñas on the street - the tortillas are made with flour and fat, not butter, and are cooked over embers, and this gives the bread a really nice smokey edge to it that you wouldn't get with a bake/skillet. Awesome video btw, I am going to try this tomorrow since I have some scottish oats at home!

I very quickly gave up on flipping them because they just weren't holding together (part of the problem was probably that I had to swap granulated sugar for honey), so I ended up pressing the whole thing into a cast iron pan, cooking it for a bit over the burner, and then putting it under the broiler. Both sides got toasted and it was buttery enough that once it was cooled I was able to get big chunks out of the pan without too much hassle.

Fancy that, the word Borough, or German Burg came in the form of fortified settlements, then later becoming its own district. Who knew I'd learn the origin of words from a medieval cook channel!

With my hand to the side of my mouth, "Pssst, you know why people just love grilled and fire roasted food? It's because of the char. The char is where the flavor is at!"

Finding this channel has made my SCAdian heart happy.

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I’ll end up having to join one of these days.

That is exactly why I like baking; you put everything together and then let the oven do the work for you! This is also one of my favorite periods of the history of the English isles. Vikings, Saxons, and Normans, Oh My!

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

It makes me grateful I have an oven instead of a hearth 😆

@AbigailMaureenVI

4 жыл бұрын

@@TastingHistory They should saint the inventor of the convection oven haha

"We get some insight into the Anglo Saxon mind - which, isn't that what history is really for?" More professors and other instructors need to heed this!

Alfred just sucked at flipping them and didn't want to embarrass himself but knew it would look better if he was too busy thinking about king stuff.

Just stumbled into your channel by chance (possibly fleeing from some Danes). Enjoyed the video and appreciate the book links. Am now subscribed. Look forward to browsing through your content and will probably make some oatcakes soon.

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

So glad you got away from the bloody Danes. Look out for Normans next. Thank you for subscribing! Hope you enjoy the rest of the videos.

@scouttyra

4 жыл бұрын

As someone from the south of Sweden (Scania) I can relate to that. Although at points it was from the Swedes, but as I now live in more northern parts, it's mainly the Danes. That damn Christian the Tyrant (Christian II of Denmark).

We need more Alfreds ...

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

A humble leader who can admit when he is wrong, who has a love for education and is on a constant journey of self improvement? Hmmm, it just too foreign.

@sarahgilliss3503

3 жыл бұрын

@@TastingHistory Or, as you said in another one of your videos that I just watched: "Inconceivable!" But, we really DO need more Alfreds in this troubled, modern world...

@LTPottenger

3 жыл бұрын

Today's leaders would wait for the invaders with oatcakes in hand, ready to turn over the treasury lol

I have an oatcake recipe sent to me by a friend from Killybegs, Ireland. I’ve been making them for 20 years. They are wonderful!!

Your summing up of the story is actually the moral intended. He was not only a deep thinker but freely willing to acknowledge his errors.

I will never make baked oatmeal again. This is SO much easier.

Lol, I knew you were going to like the charred ones better. They look great, though it looks like they need a bit more moisture to hold them together better. That's also probably why they're hard to flip. Not too much though. That is also my favorite time period in history. It's absolutely fascinating with so many different cultures coming together for the first time and all of the changes and new things taking place because of those cultural 'minglings'. Fantastic video, Max, keep up the great work you're doing. You have a terrific channel. :)

Wow, I wake up and you’ve gained around 10,000 subscribers since I subscribed barely half a day ago! I stand by what I said, this channel will become huge.

Combine “Scholagladiatoria” addiction with Alton Brown addiction, and KZread brings me to TastingHistory. Who would believe KZread could actually do anything right? Good stuff, Mr. Miller!

This is so fascinating. It's really amazing how easily accessible history can be when you present it in such an engaging way and put it in the context of food - a subject I *do* find inherently interesting.

My personal motto is "Never let the truth get in the way of a good story".

@lhfirex

3 жыл бұрын

As long as you don't work in government or journalism...

@fernbrisot325

3 жыл бұрын

@@lhfirex Very true!

I've liked every video and subscribed after the first one. The only time the emotional blackmail of withholding from a complete stranger worked.

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

My plan worked!

You are so entertaining. Love that you keep changing your Pokémon plush toy in every episode!

King Alfred is my favourite king. He did so much for establishing proper administration, free schooling and welfare for the poor. A really great guy. Alfred the Great!

Just made these! Like Max, I kinda burned the first couple. But I turned down the heat a bit, and they came out fine after that. I barely got to try them, though! My son was gobbling them up almost before they'd had a chance to cool! Lol But I did get two of them, and they are GOOD! We still have a little of the dough left. I'm gonna stash it in the fridge and fry up more for breakfast, tomorrow. I'll update on how they turn out!

@inyxblackstone4756

3 жыл бұрын

Update time! I had to allow the dough to warm to just under room temperature, but the cakes held up to the skillet much better than yesterday, as well as being a bit less crumbly. I think that from now on, if I decide to prep these ahead of time, I'll be shaping the cakes, then layering them in parchment paper before chilling. They were still delicious, though! So these are sure to become a regular rotation on our breakfast roster.

this chap is such a good presenter. Funny and light hearted and just great.

So disappointed that this recipe did not make it into your cookbook. This is my favorite recipe from this page. I have made it several times since I first saw this video.

I am a good cook, and experienced. I watched this w extreme interest. I'm going to give it a shot, but I think I'm going to put a thin scrim of butter or lard in the bottom of the frying pan, and see if that doesn't do the trick. I'll let you know, although your doing it dry, may be far more authentic, neither do I have a fireplace where I can lay down ash...

Looks like the ancient predecessor to Australia's anzac biscuit.

Thanks so much for posting. I'm going to try that oatcake in a skillet. For some time now I've been making what I call "oatmeal pie". I eat it for breakfast with tea or eat is as a snack or a late night meal when the munchies hit. I mix two cups of oatmeal (5 minute, 1 minute, or old fashioned oatmeal) using whatever kind I have on hand with cinnamon, a little salt, dried cranberries(optional), and flaxseed(optional) and then add apple cider until a little soggy. Allow to stand 20-30 minutes until liquid is absorbed. Then add more apple cider until the mixture is soggy again (with experience you will learn to know how much you like). Pour this out into a 9" (22.86 cm) pie pan (tapered or sloping sides), and place in a 350F oven (I use a toaster over, bottom rack) for 45-60 minutes. For a softer pie use 45 minutes, for a firmer pie use 60. You can also cover the top of the tin with tinfoil. This will give another texture to the pie. Many options, most will work well. I cut my pie into six pieces. In the morning, when my tea is ready, I just pop one of these into the micro wave for 30 seconds. A very fast, tasty, and healthy breakfast. You might also look at another oat cake: "Journey of the Journey Cake" (KZread).

A german speaker here. The old english "cake" probaply cMe from a old germanic word thsts related to the germsn word "Keks" if its not even the same word as it was bavk then. And this vocab "Keks" or plural "Kekse" translates to cookie or biscut (Note we offten call the soft amarican cookies also cookies "Keks" only referes to the harder stuff ) So just in case anyone was confused

I love this channel so much!! I shall continue to binge your episodes until I run out. Props to you for this great content.

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you. Working on more for you to binge 😁

Love the random eevee in the background

I love how clear & easy-to-follow your recipes are, and you put them right in the descriptions. It's like you're inviting us to share in your cooking.

So glad I found this channel. Loving the combination of food recipe and food history. Keep up the great work!

This is fantastic stuff, love this channel! More power to you - I'm off to make oat cakes and butter beer like the merry english peasant that I am

after seeing this, I am now petitioning for a collaboration with Jamie from The British History Podcast. I beg you do a collaboration because this is awesome

I have been doing a massive binge of your channel and might I say every one of them are surprisingly good you have earned yourself a new subscriber

Love his comment that if this recipe is slightly different than the one you know....relax. they're all good.

This is great! Exactly the content I searched for on this platform. Keep up the good work and please do more Dark-Age medieval videos. By the way, I recommend reading a book called 'Anglo-Saxon Food and Drink' by Ann Hagen. It's a fantastic source of insightful information regarding the way Anglo-Saxons or Dark Age Europeans fed themselves at the time. Recipes for dishes are scant but the book is filled with great descriptions, context and a lot of references from hundreds of Old English texts. I highly recommend.

As always, another wonderful video. I love learning about the history of the dish. You do such an awesome job! Patiently waiting for the next one.

@TastingHistory

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you! I’m trying to get onto a Tuesday schedule, so Sally Lunn Buns should be up in a few days. 😁

@kimhollie9429

4 жыл бұрын

@@TastingHistory, Yay! Can't wait!

I love that the Anglo-Saxon era is your favorite era in English (and all) history.

I'm binge watching all of your videos! What a gem of a channel glad I found it!