Medieval Table Manners

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I really want to hear that Ms Manners story

👍︎︎ 15 👤︎︎ u/tacoflavoredballsack 📅︎︎ Jul 19 2022 🗫︎ replies

The image at 0:45 is only mistakenly used to mean "shush".

This is the Egyptian god, Har-pa-khered (“Horus the Child”), later known to the Greeks and Romans as Ἁρποκράτης/ Harpocrates.

The finger-to-the-lips pose actually relates to the form of the hieroglyph for “child”, rather than silence or secrecy in its original context. It was later interpreted by the Romans as such a sign, e.g., Marcus Terentius Varro, in De lingua latina libri XXV (On the Latin Language in 25 Books) 5.10, ca. 47–44 BCE.

Also, thanks for the discussion of the different types of currants.

👍︎︎ 7 👤︎︎ u/Qafqa 📅︎︎ Jul 20 2022 🗫︎ replies

I look forward to making this when it’s not 1000 degrees in my kitchen!

👍︎︎ 5 👤︎︎ u/michelle48073 📅︎︎ Jul 20 2022 🗫︎ replies

Is there a list of the paintings that are shown in this episode?

👍︎︎ 2 👤︎︎ u/Bladewing10 📅︎︎ Jul 20 2022 🗫︎ replies

The last of do's and don't's reminded me of the classic MST3K short, A Date With Your Family.

👍︎︎ 2 👤︎︎ u/Borkton 📅︎︎ Jul 21 2022 🗫︎ replies

Hey Max, super excited to get a copy of the tasting history cookbook!! What would you say is your favourite recipe from this book?!??

👍︎︎ 1 👤︎︎ u/Sir_IDCAYO 📅︎︎ Jul 20 2022 🗫︎ replies
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So what was dinner time like in the Middle ages?  Well maybe for some, but for most people most of   the time manners were actually very important  if a little different than our manners today. So to bone up on my Medieval manners  I am making a 15th century recipe for   stewed beef ribs with sauce. So thank  you to Bright Cellars for sponsoring   this video as we mind our Medieval  manners this time on Tasting History. So I don't believe that any culture ever since we   started walking upright has been completely  devoid of some sort of mealtime etiquette. As far back as 4,500 years ago  the Egyptian Vizier Ptahhotep   wrote about proper conduct at court and at meals. My favorite instruction being "Be silent  for  it is a better gift than flowers." The gift of silence has never really been  something I've been able to give. But many of   our modern table manners at least in the Western  world find their origins in Medieval Europe where they were written down in courtesy books,  the Emily Post of the 13th through 17th century. That was actually Amy Vanderbilt's etiquette  book that we used when my mom sent us to Miss   Manners when I was a kid. I went with my mom, my  brother, and my cousins, and let's just say it did   not go well. I actually cannot even say everything  that happened without getting flagged on YouTube but safe to say we did not get invited  back for a second lesson and I'm guessing it would have been in that second  lesson where i would have learned how to  mannerly eat ribs because ribs  are one of my favorite foods   but when I eat them I'm a bit like a  velociraptor so that's why I chose to   test my Medieval manners with this recipe from  the 15th century from the Harleian manuscript. "Stewed beef. Take fair ribs of fresh beef, and  (if thou wilt) roast it till it be nigh enough; then put it in a fair possenet; cast  there-to parsley and onions minced;  raisins of currants, powder pepper,  canel, cloves, saundres, saffron   and salt; then cast there to wine and  a little vinegar, set a lid on the pot, and let it boil soakingly on a  fair charcoal till it be enough; then lay the flesh in dishes and the syrup there  upon, and serve it forth." So this is definitely   going to have that sweet and spiced flavor paired  with something savory like meat that is so common   in Medieval and Renaissance cuisine yet a flavor  combination that we typically eschew today except with barbecue, and probably a few other things,  but barbecue is the thing that comes to mind. A sweet and tangy sauce slathered on meat.   So I'm really curious to see if they  kind of have a similar flavor profile. So for this recipe what you'll need is:   a three to four pound or one and a  half kilogram rack of beef ribs, short ribs will work as well. A half cup or a handful of minced parsley, a  couple medium onions diced, one cup or 150 grams   of currants. So let's talk about this ingredient  currants for a second because it actually causes   a lot of confusion there are two things with the  same name. These are often called zante currents, and then there are the currents of the ribose  plant but until fairly recently if a recipe   calls for currants what they mean are the  zante currants which are made from grapes.   They were originally called raisins  of Corinth as they came from the dried   grapes of the Greek city of Corinth, and as  time went on they became raisins of Corauns   as we can see in the recipe today  and then eventually just currant. The berries sometimes erroneously called   true currants didn't begin being  cultivated until the 16th century and they took on the term currant likely because when   dried they look very similar  to the raisins of Corinth. So it's not always easy to tell which one they're   talking about in a recipe unless  if that recipe is before the 1600s then it's definitely a currant, the zante currant, but if it's afterward then if it's being juiced   then it's probably the berry otherwise  it's actually usually the dried currant. One teaspoon black pepper, three quarters  teaspoon cinnamon, a quarter teaspoon cloves,   one teaspoon red sandalwood powder. So this is the saundres in the recipe  and sandalwood was actually a very   popular ingredient in a lot of medieval  cooking but it doesn't have a very strong   flavor especially when put up against things  like cinnamon, but it's there to add a red   color so if you don't have it you can skip it and  it's not going to change the flavor that much. A pinch of saffron, 1 teaspoon of salt, a  quarter cup or 60 milliliters of wine vinegar ,  and two cups or 475 milliliters of white wine. And two cups is just the perfect amount  as it still allows me to enjoy a glass   of this Silverscape verdejo that i got  from today's sponsor Bright Cellars. It almost has a tartness to it like a  tart granny smith apple and it just- it really dries your- dries your  mouth but it's also very light   it's crisp it's perfect for summer.  And it's good for this recipe because   verdejo has actually been grown  in Europe since the 11th century mostly in Spain. I don't know that  it was making its way up to England   but at least it's in the right period. And the fact that I can get this now is one  of the reasons I love Bright Cellars because along with more traditional varietals like  this Vanishing Act cabernet sauvignon they   also have less common varieties like  this verdejo or this Albtraum Zweigelt.   It's often compared to a pinot noir though I  find that it has a little more spice to it, and learning these little facts about wine  is something else I really enjoy about   Bright Cellars because they send these cards with  all the wines that you get that have information   about the the flavor of the wine as well  as little facts and stuff I really enjoy. And by taking a simple 7 question quiz they  can learn a little bit about your palette so the wines they send you are sure to impress  and if you don't like a wine that they send they'll send a replacement  bottle in your next box.   And right now Bright Cellars is giving viewers  of Tasting History a limited time offer of 50%   off of your first six bottle box. So just click  the link in the description to get started   also this wine is kind of perfect  for today's video on manners because my mom always taught me that it's just   good manners to bring a bottle of  wine whenever you go visit someone, but before we get to the manners let's make  those ribs. So first if you are using a full   rack there is usually a thin membrane along the  back of the ribs that you're going to want to   peel off or you can have your butcher take  it off. Either way score the ribs and then   remove any chunks of fat then set them in a  roasting pan and season with plenty of salt. Then wrap the pan tight in aluminum  foil and put it in the oven   at 325 degrees Fahrenheit or 160  Celsius for two and a half hours. And you can barbecue them on the grill as  well the recipe just says to roast which   then could mean several different things but make sure that they don't get  entirely done  because they're going in the oven eventually.   While they cook add the parsley, onions,  currants, pepper, cinnamon, cloves, sandalwood, saffron, and salt to a bowl  and mix everything together.   Then pour in the wine and the  vinegar and give it another stir. Then let that sit by as the ribs  continue  to cook and at two and a half hours pull the   ribs out then place them in a  clean pot or a casserole dish. What you do want to make sure is that it  fits all of the meat but only just because   you want the liquid that we're going to pour in  to really cover a lot of the meat. So pour the   liquid mixture in then cover that and return it  to the oven for another 90 minutes to two hours. Now if you're not subscribed  to Tasting History yet now is   a fantastic time because it's just good manners though I don't think that they covered  that in the Medieval courtesy books. Now movies would have you believe that a  Medieval feast was completely devoid of   decorum when in fact they were often more  strictly regimented than any meal today,   and observing someone's table manners was often  the quickest way to clock their upbringing.   Now the Medieval period can cover up to a  millennia and Europe was incredibly diverse   even more so than today but anything that we  talk about is a "this was often how it was done   during certain portions of the period" but it  doesn't by any means cover absolutely everyone.  So with the caveat that nothing ever covers  everything we can consider the  beginning   of Medieval manners at least  those that were written down to have started in 13th century Italy, or  the first was actually written in what's now Southern Germany but done so by an Italian.  And you have to consider that any rule that was important enough to write down was done so because  its opposite behavior was an issue in the past.  Like the idea that dogs were always present  at a Medieval feast, rooting around beneath the table looking for scraps. That was actually very common but even in 13th century Italy they decided they needed to put some rules around it. "The third rule after the thirtieth:   not to stroke with the hands, so long as thou  eatest at the table, either cat, or dog. It is not allowed unto the courteous to stroke animals  with the hands with which he touches the dishes." These early books of manners were a hit  and they spread like wildfire perhaps   because the nobility of Europe was trying to  prove to everyone that they were different than the common man hence deserved their position and  when it came to codifying etiquette    nobody did so with more zeal than the English.   King Edward IV had a man whose job was to keep track of the manners   of those young men sent to the royal court. The  man was meant to report back   "How mannerly they eat and drink, and to their communications and other forms of court after the Book of Urbanite." The Book of Urbanite or Urbanitatis being a 14th century  poem about manners many of which took place at the table. "When you are set before the meat, fair and  honestly it eat... nor wipe your nose upon the cloth;  to pick your teeth at meat be loth. Nor in the cup  to deeply sink, though ye have good will to drink."   All good advice and it clearly shows that there  had been an issue with people wiping their nose on the tablecloth, but we've gotten ahead of ourselves because the manners and etiquette   of a meal actually start long before the food ever arrives.   In 1460 one courtesy book which were the books of manners mainly directed  toward children to teach them how to behave at court it says that when you get to the hall  you hand over all of your weapons to the porter.   This would not include the knife that everyone  carried around with them that was actually just meant for eating, but everything else goes and then you would ask permission to enter the hall   and if it's given then "When thou comest the whole  door to, take off thy hood, thy gloves off do.   Then you would look up toward the deus or the raised  platform at the end of the hall where the host and the more prominent guests would end up being and if anyone was there make whatever kind of bow you needed to do, and only then would you go to your seat. The more often there was actually nobody up at that table because the higher-ups didn't come in until everyone else was already seated, the origin of being fashionably late. Also before you  sit down and often before you even enter the hall   you must wash your hands. It was done before the  meal, after the meal, and often in between courses.   Usually servants would go around with basins of  clean water scented with rose petals or herbs as well as fresh linens, and they would make sure that everybody's hands were cleaned before any food was brought out. Oh and it's not just your hands but  "Look thy nails be clean, in truth, lest thy fellow load them, forsooth." So provided you're all fresh and clean now you can finally take your seat, but don't get too comfortable because  you are expected to stand up every time somebody more important comes in the hall, and as you wait for the feast to finally begin    you might as well check and make sure that you have all of the accoutrement that you're going to require: a short knife which you use to cut food into bite-sized pieces, and at certain times this would also include a spoon.   The spoons could be rather expensive and were often  tied to one's belt so it's not to be purloined,   and both knives and spoons were actually a great  way to show off your wealth.    Instead of a Maserati you had a really nice spoon. The wealthiest used spoons of silver or gold, and one set of knives owned by King Henry VIII were encrusted with emeralds, pearls, rubies, and diamonds.   A true flex of the age... or was he trying to compensate for something?    Now you wouldn't have a fork because in most of Europe at this time forks were only  used for serving and not for actually eating,   and forks for eating really didn't become a thing until the very end of the Medieval era or even into the Renaissance, and then it was in Italy.    But in England starting during the reign of the fastidious King Richard II one  was expected to bring a handkerchief or a napkin   which was used to wipe your hand. Specifically it  would go over your left shoulder or your left arm,   but still before the food arrives there are  pleasantries to be had.   You were to speak to anyone who spoke to you. Very rude to ignore  someone just as it is today.   Though if everyone is following the rules those who are speaking to  you are right around you at the table because you   should never raise your voice in the hall. In fact  if you're a child or of a lower rank    then best "To mostly maintain silence, but if you do speak be  sure to mind what you say,    where you are, to whom you are speaking, and of whom you are speaking.  Don't disparage others- that's a nasty thing to do."   Rules that should still apply today except on the  internet where all these rules seem to go out the window. Now another rule that still applies today  that applied then was not to rest your elbows on the table, and I don't see why that is still a  thing it just seems like maybe tradition. I mean I don't know if it's rude. I don't know- if anyone  knows, let me know but in Medieval Europe there was a very good reason. Tables, especially the  long tables, used for feasts were trestle tables   and they weren't permanent fixtures but only set  up for the meal so the top was often just slats of wood that were balanced on the legs with no actual attachment. So depending on how big the table was or how heavy you were if you put your elbows on it you might flip or collapse the table,    but finally it is time for the food to arrive usually on big  communal platters that you would take food off of.   However that doesn't mean it's time to eat. "Don't be greedy over the food. Sit for a time before you  start eating to show your temperance, and eat only what you need. Now that may have been the goal  but it was clearly not always practice because the poet Andrew Barkley wrote   "If the fish be pleasant, either flesh or fish, ten hands at once swarm in  the dish. And if it be flesh, ten knives shalt thou see mangling the flesh and in the platter flee, to  put there thy hands is peril without fail,   without a gauntlet or else a glove of mail." Basically watch out or you're gonna lose a hand.   So now if you have minded your manners up until this point  it is time to finally eat.    So you would take, using your knife, a piece of the meat or whatever it was  off of the communal plate and place it onto your trencher which was either wood or it was a slice  of stale bread that was used to sop up all of the juice. Then you'd cut the food up into bite-sized  morsels, but you would not blow on it no matter how hot it is. Because "Blow down not online meat nor drink." Then you would bring the morsel to your mouth using your thumb and first two fingers. What you would not do is take the meat or whatever it was on the knife, and put that into your mouth. 1) that's tacky 2) it's kind of dangerous.   Speaking of dangerous the Medieval manners books usually  said not to chew with your mouth open or   not to drink with food in your mouth, and I always just assumed that that was because nobody wanted to see the half masticated cow in your mouth but it's actually a matter of safety. As one book says physics is not on your side and when you take that drink "Thou may be choked on that bite, if it go wrong thy throat into and stop thy wind, thou art done for."    And before the Heimlich maneuver you might be surprised at how many people died simply by choking so  it was really a matter of self-preservation. Some of the other rules you may want to know about is   to never take salt from the salt cellar with anything but the  tip of a clean knife.    Also don't chew on bones as dogs chew on bones but cut all of the meat off of the bone before eating it,  something I want to remember when I eat my ribs. Another rule that I think doesn't go far enough that hits rather close to home considering my kitchen came with this 'No Spitting Sign' is that you should   "Turn away when spitting lest your saliva fall on someone. If  anything pure lint falls on the ground,   it should be trodden upon lest it nauseate someone." "Nor is it seemly, after wiping your nose, to spread out your handkerchief and peer into it as if pearls and rubies might have fallen out of your head."   You know who you are, and this one might apply to you as well. "Do not move back and forth on  your chair. Whoever does that gives the impression  of constantly breaking or trying to break wind."  These rules are from the Dutch writer Erasmus  who also says that if you're chewing something   and you don't want to swallow it, maybe it's a bit  of gristle or something, that you should not put it back on the table though his idea of where to put it is even worse.    "If you cannot swallow a piece of food, turn around discreetly and throw it somewhere."    Then, and this one will make it so he is never invited to my house for dinner, "Do not be afraid of vomiting if you must; for it is not vomiting but holding the vomit in your throat that is foul."    Strongly disagree. Now the English writers definitely give some more sensible advice like   "Don't loosen your belt sitting at the table for that is most uncourteous. Don't burp or fart... Share your delicacies with your fellow diners so as to be seen as kind and generous and don't complain if your serving is small."    And some must-have advice for Medieval Europe, and today at the dinner table. "Pick not thine ears nor thy nostrils. Pick not thy teeth with thy knife. Laugh no nor grin and with much speech thou mayest do sin."   Okay that last part went a little too far no  laughing at dinner i don't think so not on board but the no picking your ears and your nose  at the dinner table let's keep that one around.   Actually in Medieval Europe touching your head  at all during a meal was considered very rude.   Another thing to keep in mind is to not finish  all of your food because one you'll seem a glutton   and more importantly you'll seem stingy because  after the feast all of the food that was left over   is given to the poor, so don't be that guy or gal. And these rules did apply to men and women but I do feel that the women were often held to a higher standard. The 13th century French poet 'Le Roman de la Rose' or the romance of the rose lays out how a lady specifically should behave at table.   "She must be very careful not to dip her fingers  in the sauce up to the knuckles,   nor to smear her lips with soup or garlic or fat meat, nor to take  too many pieces or too large a piece and put them in her mouth. And she must be sure never to touch  her goblet when there is anything in her mouth. Let her wipe her mouth so clean that no grease  is allowed to remain upon it,    at least not upon her upper lip, for when grease is left on the upper lip globules appear in the wine,    which is neither pretty nor nice." But for the men don't fart at the table, and if you have to hock  a loogie do it over there. Double standard more even more so when it came to the conversational part   of a meal, and at least one Medieval writer Robert  of Blois recognized this. if she speaks someone says   "If she speaks, someone says iit is too much. If she is silent she is reproached  for not knowing how to greet people.    If she is friendly and courteous, someone pretends it is for love. If on the other hand she does not put on a  bright face she passes for being too proud." I'm so glad that all of those issues have been completely  banished from today's society, right? So that's a lot of rules to remember but I am going to as I enjoy my Medieval beef ribs. So at about 90 minutes or two hours remove the ribs from the  oven and serve them on a platter with plenty of the liquid left. And here we are, beef ribs from 15th century England. So first I'm going to cut  myself a trencher from this stale loaf of bread. Then place one rib on it so as not to seem greedy,   and do my best to cut the meat off the bone and into bite-sized pieces. I will take a morsel and pop it in my mouth. That's perfect. Wonderfully tender and even though the sauce isn't on it right now really I would dip it into the sauce at a Medieval feast, but there's some sauce on it so you're still getting so much of the flavor, and by sauce really I mean like the liquid and the other things that it was cooked in but anyway you still get so much of the flavor and it's sweet and it's also like   tangy and it kind of reminds me of barbecue sauce  but fruity   because we have so much- so many currants and everything so that's really what you're getting.   I feel like the sugar- a lot of the sweetness probably comes from the  onions but you don't get a- I'm not getting an oniony flavor. It's really more of the currants and maybe the cinnamon.   Really, really good and I'm going to finish all of these ribs  but off camera I'm probably just gonna   [CHOMP] So a reminder that the Tasting History Cookbook is available for pre-order online at pretty much anywhere where you buy books and I will see you next time on Tasting History.
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Channel: Tasting History with Max Miller
Views: 458,886
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Keywords: tasting history, food history, max miller, medieval recipes, medieval manners, midevil manners
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Length: 20min 42sec (1242 seconds)
Published: Tue Jul 19 2022
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