Medieval Table Manners

Check out these other interesting Medieval recipes: Medieval Tournaments: https://youtu.be/wxypUB5K0KE Peasant Food: https://youtu.be/zKa5GRu4LwE Medieval Outlaws: https://youtu.be/IfcQcAPt5vk Medieval Saint Diet: https://youtu.be/jBRVvMm3xv0 Medieval Monks: https://youtu.be/zz0y1d6IIpY

The “elbows on table” rule was to be considerate with table space as most eating arrangements were particularly close together. Putting your elbows on the table was annoying to those around

“‘Til it be enough” and “Serve it forth” have now become my favorite recipe directions.

Thank you for addressing the fact that etiquette and manners WERE a thing in the Middle Ages. When reading things from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, the impression I get is that manners were much more important to them than they are to us today.

This was a fascinating episode. Would love to see more like it: manners in Ancient Greece, Rome, Mesopotamia, Iran, China.

"Be silent. For it is a better gift than flowers." I need to remember that quote for the next time I have a holiday dinner with my family.

My English grandmother was a stickler about elbows on the table. If one of the grandchildren allowed an errant elbow to seek refuge on the table she would declare solemnly while brandishing a carving knife, “all joints on the table shall be carved!” I’m 52 now and whenever I see someone with “errant elbows” I can still hear her voice in my head 😂

My father always told me that the elbows on the table thing came from sailors. Because out at sea in order to keep their food from going everywhere they'd place their plate between their elbows to stop it from sliding around. And sailors were often seen as rough and unrefined and carried these habits with them when not on a ship

Fun fact: In German the dried grape variety of a currant is called a "Korinthe", which comes from the name of the city, but the currant berry is called "Johannisbeere", which comes from John the Baptist. His holy name day is on the 24th of June, which is when currants are starting to get ripe for picking in Germany.

fun fact: in German there's saying that says "den Löffel abgeben", which translates to "to pass on the spoon". It means basically "to die". and it comes from mideaval times when spoons were so valuable that they were heirlooms. But be careful when saying that someone passed the spoon, it is not really a nice way of breaking the news. it's more like "someone bites the dust"

I'm gonna be a suck ass here. I remember when you were so "tense" about giving up the Disney gig and going all in with this. and NOW look at the result. 1.3 MILLION subscribers and growing. Fantastic job Max.. Glad its paying the rent and you ENJOY doing it. Keep that perfect hair coiffed!!

Great channel for Culinary history buffs and foodies. Now every time I make dinner, I imagine Max telling me to cook it "Until it be ready" and then "Serve it Forth.."

Man, that "turn around discretely and throw it somewhere" made me throw my head back and laugh hahaha. Just imagine watching someone try to get away with that at your dinner table 😁

I love the phrase "'till it be enough". I need to start using it in everyday life

Life hack for dealing with silver skin (i.e. the membrane on the back of a rack of ribs): work up a corner of the membrane with a paring knife (just enough to grab onto), and use a paper towel to hold the skin while you pull it away from the meat. Also works great on pork ribs.

The rule about not peering into your hankerchief after wiping or blowing your nose as if expecting pearls or rubies to appear is probably the only thing I remember reading from my middle school history textbook as I was reading ahead into a part not covered by the teacher and it struck my immature self as so funny that I never forgot it. Thank you for reminding me of that moment of 30ish years ago. 😂

Love your history lesson. I'm 79 this month and learnt this manners Poem in 5 th grade. If you must speak, Before you speak, 5 Things observe with care. Of whom you speak, To whom you speak, And how and when and where. It's a good rule to live by, it saves one from getting embroiled in gossip.

My mother's side of the family is almost entirely Russian, and we know of ancestors going back centuries. There's a story (which was probably embellished over generations, but this is the version I heard from my grandmother) about one ancestor, a general, being invited to dine with the tsar. He was fairly well-off, but not off the same social class as the tsar, so he was freaking out about how to present himself. Ultimately, he simply decided to copy what the tsar and other nobles did. Fast-forward to the dinner, and all was going well. After people were finished eating, a water bowl was passed around (starting with the tsar, of course). Everyone washed their fingers in it, including the general, who then passed it to the man next to him. This man was an excellent soldier, but came from poor, "uncouth" origins, and apparently hadn't been paying attention at all. He took the bowl of hand-water, raised it to his lips, and drank it all in one go. The tsar was supposedly unfazed, but I can't help but wonder what might've happened to that man after the dinner... EDIT: Apparently this is a popular yarn to tell with all sorts of settings and characters, and I never even knew! At least I can confirm that my ancestor was real. My great-grandmother had an old photo of him, and presumably my grandmother got it after she passed.

I can't believe how fast you're growing. I remember the first few videos. Seriously becoming a part of my weekly must watch videos. So proud :)

"Do not be afraid of vomiting" will be on my next birthday dinner invitations. A true medieval feast indeed! I had to drop everything and laugh my ass off when you said this, you'd think it'd be something to expect when just before you were talking about no farting at the table. Love your videos.