Ancient Nian Gao | Lunar New Year Cake

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Subtitles & Ketchup with Max host: Jose Mendoza
PHOTO CREDITS
Pig: By Made by Fanghong - Own work, CC BY 2.5, commons.wikime...
Rat and Ox: D.h.Isais, CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommon..., via Wikimedia Commons
Chinese Zodiac Carving: By Jakub Hałun - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikime...
Guangdong Niangao: avlxyz from (optional), CC BY-SA 2.0 creativecommon..., via Wikimedia Commons
Hong Kong niangao: Mk2010, CC BY-SA 3.0 creativecommon..., via Wikimedia Commons
Niangao from local Hong Kong: Geoffreyrabbit, CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommon..., via Wikimedia Commons
Nian gao 2: ProjectManhattan, CC BY-SA 3.0 creativecommon..., via Wikimedia Commons
Chinese New Year Sticky Rice Cakes: ProjectManhattan, CC BY-SA 3.0 creativecommon..., via Wikimedia Commons
Spring and Autumn Period Map: By Yug - Own work,*Background data: ETOPO1 + QGIS > then vectorized using Inkscape*Semantic data: some from Le Monde Chinois, Gernet, p58.or (en:) Gernet (1996) A History of Chinese Civilisation, Cambridge university press, p. 59, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikime...
Statue of Wu Zixu: By Peter Potrowl - Own work, CC BY 3.0, commons.wikime...
Bronze DIng: drs2biz, CC BY-SA 2.0 creativecommon..., via Wikimedia Commons
Great Wall at Mutianyu: By J. Samuel Burner - www.flickr.com..., CC BY 2.0, commons.wikime...
MUSIC CREDITS
Music promoted by 1HMNC - No Copyright Music
PeriTune - Folk Chinese • PeriTune - Folk Chinese ​ Folk Chinese by PeriTune ( / sei_peridot​ ) is licensed under a Creative Commons License.(CC BY 3.0)
#tastinghistory #niangao #chinesenewyear #chinesefood

[@KetchupwithMaxandJose]

Important question, nyan cat or nian gao? 🤔

[@sheenachristina2385]

Nian gao. We eat similar cakes in the Philippines- stick so all the good luck sticks to you, and your Family sticks together. ❤️ That cat song...although does stick in your head. 😂

[@Paganbeliever]

Nian cat?

[@OptimusWombat]

What's "nyan cat"? Is that something different, or the same thing as nian gao but transliterated from a different dialect?

[@buffalo5knives809]

nyan mao or nian gao? or maybe nian gou...

[@sheenachristina2385]

@@OptimusWombat Nyan cat was a meme and song.

[@robertoeverton6473]

"im a pig, as is my chinese zodiac sign" already dropped a like

[@Mark723]

Better a pig than a boar...

[@finolacat8355]

@@Mark723 I saw what you did! ;p

[@TastingHistory]

🤣 thank you

[@1337billybob]

@@TastingHistory Such a young and vibrant 25! Obviously meant year of the pig in 1995 and not 1983 (looks in mirror of my year of the pig birth year) Yeah... 95 not 83.

[@Boom12]

@@Mark723 nice one!

[@brokenglassshimmerlikestar3407]

I'm from southern china, our sticky rice cakes are round and flavored with brown sugar. They are made by steaming, but when we eat, we cut them into slices and pan fry them, this way they form a thin crust but stay hot and sticky in the inside.

[@user-oq1tr7ys5i]

Thats sounds good.

[@daveandgena3166]

Oh, my!

[@jeremychoo934]

Sandwich the 年糕 in-between two slices of taro or sweet potato, dip in tempura batter and fry. That’s how it’s eaten in Singapore.

[@user-oq1tr7ys5i]

@@jeremychoo934 thats sounds even better!

[@Boom12]

Brown sugar sounds so good with nian gao. Super good stuff!

[@caseyrogers573]

As a linguist, I must say I’m always impressed with your pronunciation of words from different languages. Even if it’s not 100% native, it really shows dedication to your content. Love the channel!

[@jules32391]

I came here to say this! I’m also a linguist so I really appreciate that Max takes time to learn pronunciation for non-English names and words. As a voice actor, he probably has some training in phonetics/ipa but learning a tonal language and all of those extra affricates as an English speaker is not easy!

[@caseyrogers573]

@@jules32391 I’m not actively working in the field currently, so I justify my education solely through KZbin comments now lol

[@jules32391]

@@caseyrogers573 I do work in the field..... just not as the “spectrogram in a lab” cool kind....so same 🤣

[@sunshinesue4131]

I agree!

[@hereiampercylover]

@@jules32391 he's a voice actor?

[@TradeGaugeLay]

Taiwanese here. The uncooked sticky rice cake is literally as hard as a brick. But when you slice it (around a half inch) & deep fry it with batter, it just become a sweet, al dente starchy goodness with a golden crispy crust. So hard to describe. IT IS SOOOOOO GOOD. Good pronunciation Good research Thumbs up

[@TastingHistory]

Thank you!

[@lappn99]

That sounds amazing

[@allthatsheiz]

Sounds like EXTRA dirty food porn. STOP YOUR FOOLISH TEMPTATIONS ! 😋😁😄

[@feralbluee]

mmm - sounds so much better than the steamed cake. this i would try :) i do hope they have it somewhere in China Town (NYC) (that is, if i get the nerve to venture out in a Hazmat suit :) maybe next year. . 🐼

[@matthewcline8580]

@@feralbluee They probably do have these in Chinatown, since they're really quite popular here in China. I think the type that Cliff was talking about often comes in large round blocks, kind of like cheese. You can slice the blocks up real thin, like half a centimeter. coat them in egg batter and fry them. Delicious.

[@TheProjectNightfall]

Hugely respect that you got one successful take of saying 'Zixu' and just cut that audio in every time. Thats big brain thinking babeyyy

[@catbeara]

Work smarter not harder 🙌

[@noliverk]

Max is obviously a man of efficacy.

[@Serjo777]

Dude what? That was super weird sounding and obvious xD

[@alexgade4512]

@@Serjo777 i mean...better than people tearing him to shreds for daring to mispronounce a language he doesn't speak.

[@austenhead5303]

It was SO distracting. I'd rather he just mispronounce it.

[@jamestown8398]

"Ugly people don't deserve justice." - Prince of Wu

[@L0rdOfThePies]

Kuzco energy

[@fradoncrack5509]

Nicki Minaj energy

[@zaarkhananal7165]

@@L0rdOfThePies Lolololol, so true. That really does sound like something he'd say.

[@ddd8828]

Funnily enough. it was common Greek philosophy sentiment that beauty and morality were linked! Plato and Aristotle, for example, both believed that if you were beautiful, then it was one metric judging that you were a good person, and vice versa.

[@RangerMan-yv7rl]

​@@ddd8828so many beautiful woman n hansem men are so bad natured and arrogant! If by "ugly" is meant the character n conduct then True

[@Josh-gv4pt]

The way he flawlessly switches between Latin and English (and apparently Chinese now) is very impressive lol

[@jacoblabach4970]

it is an overdub - he always cuts away from his face when he says the word. That said, most people wouldn't even bother to learn how to say it right - so

[@Taolan8472]

The magic of editing can make anyone appear to be polylingual, but it still requires significant effort do as well as Max does.

[@jacobnisley6581]

@@jacoblabach4970 I wondered who else was catching that. Good stuff though!

[@AccentedCinema]

Happy Chinese New Year! Kinda crazy how much I'm learning from this video, considering... I'm Chinese.

[@travisstoll3582]

I absolutely love your videos.

[@whoareyou9218]

啊。。。你好像被我关注了。。。

[@Lakhshamana]

Ayyy channel hybridization

[@omegabet3912]

WHOAH! Fancy seeing you here! Happy new year!!

[@lukapichler3666]

YOOOO ITS MAH BOI YANG ZHANG

[@Hallows4]

The red shirt was a nice touch (symbol of good luck/prosperity for the new year).

[@andrewwebb917]

His pokemon in the background is tauros, one named after the zodiac

[@omegabet3912]

Max: It's so sticky.. This is not a chopsticks food. Me, Chinese, sitting at my desk, chomping on some nian gao with a fork: lmao yeah

[@RaymondHng]

It's one week later. Are you still chewing?

[@omegabet3912]

@@RaymondHng No but I think some of it got stuck between my teeth

[@RaymondHng]

@@omegabet3912 My mother makes that soup dish with the glutinous rice balls with a bit of rock sugar inside. I'm not too fond of those because they taste like raw gummy rice flour dough. At the end of lunch, any leftover scraps of food are tossed into the food waste disposal. So a few of those rice balls ended up in the disposal. After ten seconds of grinding, most of the waste food went out the drain. but those damn rice balls stayed INTACT!

[@SoulcatcherLucario]

@@RaymondHng YIKES THAT'S A MOOD

[@rosemali3022]

How did you learn chopsticks? For me it was literally self defense.

[@agimagi2158]

"His appearance matches exactly what I detest most in a man." This is going to be my new standard reply whenever my parents ask why I don't date this and that guy! 😂

[@patty17294]

LOL

[@shawnsisler3743]

Mood

[@mortisCZ]

Good for you. :-D

[@mplwy]

😂

[@francescaicaza5148]

It sounds like a Facebook tag group

[@amyrogers8961]

I am impressed by your remembering to mention the help you get from other folks. Interpreters, historians, and other cooks, they all get kudos. Makes YOU look good, and very professional. Aside from the great presentation, of course. yeah!

[@jeremychoo934]

The struggle to make 年糕 is real which is why most people just buy it from the supermarket or order ahead from Chinese restaurants in the run up to the new year.

[@marco_evertus]

I have never had a homemade 年糕 in my life. 😂😭

[@Angels-3xist]

The amount of effort he puts in is astronomical. He might be a bit too humble about it.

[@marco_evertus]

@@Angels-3xist Most definitely, I spent a lot of time in China and currently living in Singapore and not many people make 年糕 from scratch, very few most of the older generation, because it's so time-consuming to make.

[@marcheck3400]

Ture. In fact Nian Gao is so notoriously finicky that even the professionals have superstitions around it, eg not speaking bad words while making it and not letting women on their period in the kitchen. Or the Nian Gao will turn out bad.

[@absalomdraconis]

@@marcheck3400 : Probably one of those things where humidity, air pressure, and moisture content of the rice all have an effect. Maybe even the starch and/or protein content of the rice, too.

[@Katie-te9cj]

I’m from Northern China, our Niangao is made with cooked red beans instead of dates or chestnut. This video made me miss my hometown. 👍

[@WMDistraction]

I live in China and am married to a Chinese woman. I do not understand red beans and probably never will. Why is it in everything?!

[@ihatecabbage7270]

The pandemic really made things hard, for all of us.....

[@VWYL900802]

@@WMDistraction red bean is like chocolate for chinese desserts. along with lotus paste. and there's a poem to go with it, basically describing it as a bean of longing. Red bean gets better as it gets stewed in the red bean soup, and the more broken down it is, the better (some people put dried orange peel to it, adds a little fragrance to it), but the thing is, red bean is definitely associated with romance in chinese culture, or a good sweet soup dessert, next to tangyuan, or the dumpling made in another previous episode in this channel. Tangyuan is associated with unity, while red bean is associated with longingness. Either way, brings a little sweetness to end a meal with friends.

[@tokyomilmil]

@@WMDistraction sorry to say that but you will wonder even more in Japan (and missed a lot of chances to try their traditional desert). They’re even more fanatic about red bean than the Chinese they basically have red bean flavors for every sweet dish possible. They even adapt western bread & invent the “red-bean bun” flavor 😂😂 It’s one of the most popular bread entry in Japan only *curry bun* & *fried-noodle bun” can ever rival it. And us Taiwanese adopt it as well we now almost have red-bean bun in every bread bakery possible 👍

[@tokyomilmil]

Taiwanese also have Nian Gao mostly in red bean kind (us obviously being majorly tied to Southern Chinese culture, though personally my grandparents are from the north who came with Chiang Kai Shek ), so I guess nowadays red bean is the staple flavor for general folks , ... dates or chestnut I thk I’ve seen their version somewhere, probably made by fancy restaurants or something, definitely at a higher price than red bean for sure 😂😂 Not too surprising people who’s capable of writing it down for Max to discover, is most definitely a noble or high ranked official in ancient time their version of Nian Gao is no doubt the up scale version ~

[@jameschesney9492]

My girlfriend who’s Chinese really appreciates your accuracy with your Chinese pronunciations, and the in depth research. She loves your channel

[@wkang2758]

Can't believe Max is hitting us with Chinese New Year content. Great pronunciation as usual. This video is getting me all hyped up for CNY. WOO

[@TastingHistory]

Thank you 🙏

[@MissJoaniB]

I always appreciate when you say, "I tried this, according to the old recipe and... it didn't work out," because how many of us try to follow a recipe to the last period and the result didn't look like the pictures? Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't.

[@boletarianbread7349]

Fun fact: the character for luck "fu, 福" often written on Chinese paper lanterns, is hung upside down at many homes and businesses at new year, so one can say "fu dao le 福倒了," meaning "luck got turned upside down" which sounds identical to "luck has arrived" or "fu dao le 福到了" (even tones are the same and you can see the characters look similar)

[@RaymondHng]

That _luck fu_ looks so much like something else.

[@陸天篤]

@@RaymondHng in Cantonese 福 is pronounced fuk so 🤔

[@its_clean]

Ok I'm ABC and my Mandarin is really crappy so I could be wrong- but aren't the tones actually different here? "Upside down" should be dao3, and "arrived" should be dao4, right?

[@splashsong]

@@its_clean there's two "dao" that are associated with upside down, dao3 which more closely translates to "fall down" and dao4 which is more accurately "reverse/upside down" so the one here should actually be dao4

[@nephicus339]

Interesting. Canadian here, and I would imagine 'Luck' written upside down would be inviting a lack of it. Like western superstition of the horseshoe over the doorway; hanging it right side up so it looks like a U catches the luck, while an upside down horseshoe suggests luck running out.

[@sarahgray430]

The Year of the Pig is a fortuitious year to be born in, because people born in the Year of the Pig are thought to be intelligent, clean, hard working, and good with money and have refined tastes especially in regards to food and wine...sounds like you, Max. Your fiancee is a fortunate man!

[@dimsum81]

I’m no farmer, but somehow I’m skeptical of “pig” and “clean” in the same sentence

[@sarahgray430]

@@dimsum81 pigs in their natural habitat are very clean, and will actually bathe if they have acess to water, because it helps them keep cool. Their reputation for being dirty comes from being kept in pens and forced to wallow in their own excrement...and like most omnivores (including humans) their poop stinks!

[@shockingheaven]

If you had asked me a year ago what I would be doing now, probably "watching a Disney prince cooking Nian gao and talking about history" would have never crossed my mind

[@Dimitri88888888]

Disney prince???

[@secretalias2264]

lol he does look like a disney prince doesn't he? Where are all the talking animals to help him cook 😹

[@meepsicle83]

IIRC Jose works for Disney

[@guhhhhh9032]

@@secretalias2264 The talking animals are what he is cooking

[@Lakhshamana]

@@secretalias2264 does the occasional Pokemon plushies count?

[@MMallon425]

That Simpsons "He's already dead!" cut is Emmy's-tier editing.

[@harvestmoon_autumnsky]

That was my favorite moment!

[@chiot2875]

“There are also appearances by our cats, Cersei and Jaime” for that, I’ll go sub right now

[@Laticia1990]

I'm guessing the cats are fixed! Lol

[@yubasheehan8552]

I guessing that aren't and related

[@ohthenoises]

“I’m a pig, and so is my zodiac sign” I couldn’t stop laughing for a good minute. I had to rewind to listen to what we were making xD

[@ThinWhiteAxe]

Yes that was one of his best openings ever🤣

[@carolsaia7401]

I'm a Taurus, Year of the Ox.

[@tantibusdraws6165]

“You can’t mold water unless your the Avatar” I really appreciated that reference. For that, you get a like from me.

[@soanalaichnam344]

But you only need to be a waterbender and not necessarily the avatar

[@asmodiusjones9563]

Yeah there are two tribes of people who can do it.

[@NWolfsson]

Let's hope José won't turn into the Moon.

[@jordinagel1184]

@@NWolfsson “my biggest patreon supporter and all around good buddy turned into the moon” “That’s rough buddy. Pass the salt, please?”

[@nephicus339]

Uncle Iroh is laughing in the spirit world.

[@bjaarki]

It's crazy to me that this channel only started at the end of 2019, it feels like you were made to do this Max! Great video as always :)

[@TastingHistory]

One year anniversary is at the end of this month when I posted my first video :)

[@JH-qg8jv]

Your content is a production. It is theatre. It is comedy. It is drama. It is what I need in my life!

[@rocketsjudoka]

A non sweet version of Nian Gao with just glutinous rice is also made and cut into thin pieces. These pieces are boiled and then stir fried like noodles and are eaten year round. The Nian Gao in this episode is also the precursor to the Japanese Mochi.

[@qingxiangyee5675]

Yep, he's totally not snitching after taking a bite of that.

[@projectmicky1226]

Must take too long to chew haha

[@blacknote6945]

Time to do some mafia shit with the 年糕 to silence that snitch forever jk don't snitch

[@A_Swarm_of_Koalas]

I appreciate that you let us know when you fail. A lot of content creators only show their successes, but failures are just as important.

[@TastingHistory]

It’s how we learn 😁

[@mahna_mahna]

Chef John's failures are some of his most hilarious videos.

[@georgecoulter1935]

You have blossomed into a foodie anthropologist and tour guide. This is immensely entertaining and very educational. Jose and your eminence are putting Food Network and all those stuffy networks to shame. Great work guys...and I do mean work. Your research is astonishing. I thought I knew some stuff. You folks really go the extra 10 miles!!!! Thank You!

[@lexyesss]

The cheery way you said "there was a coup, the king was assassinated..." Made me spit out my drink

[@monkeykong6230]

The poor guy who first made this stuff probably didn’t use oiled bamboo leaves. The guy had to buy a whole new kitchen.

[@TastingHistory]

🤣

[@alanhyt79]

😂😂😂

[@matasa7463]

Actually, we knew perfectly clear it was gonna be hella sticky when we first started eating sticky glutenous rice - that's why they figured out they could even do this sticky rice cake thing. Putting sticky rice dishes onto lightly oiled leaves is a common way to package and preserve them. It's easy to portion and transport too! Nowadays you see them in plastic wraps more, though some dishes will still have big leaves wrapping them, like zhongzi.

[@zinzolin14]

A staple for any Chinese household during the Lunar New Year holidays! My favorite are ones with coconut milk mixed in, the texture is softer and more "marshmallowey" so it's friendlier on the jaws 😋

[@SephardicHawaiian]

I am the Year of the Boar too - a wood boar and my mom is a dragon. My late husband was a rabbit; my mom told me we were very compatible. She was right, we were together 28 yrs when he passed from cancer. My mom is Hawaiian and Chinese, so I grew up eating ngin gau - we just called it gau back home in Hawaiʻi. Gau is sold in every grocery store in Hawaiʻi during Chinese New Year. We line the mold with ti leaf and we only use jujubes and sesame seeds in our gau. My family are from Guangdong province and belong to the Hakka minority group. I still crave my grandfatherʻs sisterʻs gau from when I was a kid. Aunty Babeʻs gau was always sticky. She said we ate it "so the family sticks together in the New Year. " Kung Hee Fat Choy to you and Jose!

[@Ebathora]

PLS I love how sincerely you tried the pronunciations. The results were super impressive and the sentiment was so nice

[@leademi1387]

OMG The subtle incorporation of the drag queen Jujubee's face with the fruit was hilarious!

[@zoinomiko]

Thank god I"m not the only one who got that XD

[@LeafyK]

5:02 That's hilarious, I didn't notice until you pointed it out. Thanks!

[@aerynertia6155]

Love her! One of the top queens from RPDR, imo. Thanks for putting her face on here Max ❤

[@platystrophia]

I was THRILLED!

[@SpeedbirdTriple8]

The fact that you put Jujubee with the jujubes made my day

[@justindisbrow9921]

Honestly im both embarassed for how long it took me to realize Max has a husband-to-be (ive watched this channel for the past two months and just subscribed to ketchup a week ago) and im also super excited for him and José (sorry if i spelt it wrong) are engaged! Congrats you two!

[@philippkoch1258]

Same with me 😂

[@CJCJCJCJ]

@@ladycrowley1413 idk, he always came off gay to me :P

[@xPandamon]

He never really mentioned it, surprised me too

[@aloysiusdevadanderabercrombie8]

Lmao I'm both happy for the rep and happy that my gaydar was so good at picking it up so long ago lmao

[@CJCJCJCJ]

@@aloysiusdevadanderabercrombie8 yeah I guess I'm just finely tuned lol

[@koopakape]

Your super-authentic pronounciations of Chinese words, names and terms was not only really cool but has me suddenly mulling over the idea of trying to learn the language myself. It's been vaguely on my brain for awhile but something about seeing a guy I like and respect on youtube going way out of his way to 'do it right' by the language instead of just the usual "apologies for butchering this" has made me all hyped up about the idea.

[@johngingras]

Ketchup with Max is an excellent show. Definitely check it out, everyone!

[@JustToast936]

Seconded!

[@KetchupwithMaxandJose]

Oh shucks 😙

[@IWatchedWhat]

Max, I love how you also do non European cooking history. And your do it so well.

[@RetroRanger88]

My girlfriend's name is Nian. After all this talk of murdering people and eating children, maybe I should have her sign a pre-nup.

[@Gun5hip]

Just wear some red knickers.

[@mirandamom1346]

I need more moments in life where working out is in the chewing.

[@TastingHistory]

🤣

[@dontbefatuousjeffrey2494]

Strong jaws are definitely a sign of strength - we should all justify our gourmet decisions that way ;-)

[@thirteenthandy]

I was really confused for a minute when you introduced your fiance's channel and showed the thumbnail. "Oh my god, they look exactly the same!" Ohhhhh... never mind me...

[@madisonrolig855]

Tbh same tho 😳

[@crusador84]

Thank you for sharing this. Our Nian Gao in Singapore and Malaysia is also sticky and sweet! Also spot on for explaining the puns. Almost all the dishes we eat during Chinese New Year have names based on word plays that denote various things like success, prosperity or hopes for good fortune.

[@pianoguy7793]

I appreciate how knowledgeable Max is and can say "et cetera" absolutely correctly.

[@duncanjohnson4034]

The last time I was this early, we hadn't found evidence for the Shang dynasty yet.

[@TastingHistory]

🤣

[@tonysuthechineseguy]

Oof

[@wildsheepc]

Bronze-level joke!

[@victoriashevlin8587]

Nice😆

[@jefferyrowland5579]

Billy,Don’t be a hero, Avatar, Star Wars and Dick Tracy! The references are as thick as the cake!

[@HangryinBrussels]

Jujubee hiding in the dates sent me!

[@epowell4211]

I cracked up so hard at the Billy one lol

[@ClashBluelight]

with how long it took you to chew just one bite of this stuff, i can totally believe several entire cakes shutting up a god for his entire meeting.

[@kimyongin1987]

Chinese-Indonesian grandmothers watching Max struggles to wrap the rice cake: *laughing in Surabaya dialect* 😂😂😂

[@Christy_Kuri]

As a fellow Chindo, I can hear that 😂

[@AD-lh3jk]

Kinda sad I never knew them till I stumbled on them on CNY abroad. Either Jakarta is too focused on moon cakes or I’m just uninitiated since I’m not Chinese lol

[@dianaconcepcion1852]

Did no one notice the jujube edit? LMAO My kind of humor!

[@jeanerespe7158]

Last time i was this early, the guards still recognized me

[@TastingHistory]

🤣 on point

[@blahthebiste7924]

Well played

[@demianchoi655]

As a Korean here, have a Happy Seollal this Friday! (P.S. any possible episodes on tteok or other ancient Korean cuisines? Thanks!)

[@TastingHistory]

Yes! Probably this summer. Just got a translation of one of the oldest Korean cookbooks.

[@stargirl7646]

@@TastingHistory oh I’m so excited! I’m not Korean but I live in Korea and would love to see this

[@troubleshooter3052]

Really looking forward to this!!! :D

[@annielynn8730]

Took 3 years of mandarin in college. So impressed!!!!! Max I knew you wouldn’t let me down!!!

[@rosey4exclaim]

When you mentioned Cat, the whole of Fruits Basket rushed back into my brain and made me very happy. ☺️

[@LucretiaPearl]

Same here! 😊

[@jentleblink9221]

Same!

[@matina6878]

The pan-fried method with the egg crust is really good for combating the stick factor! Also the thin slices really help! My family is from Southern China and it’s the way my mum has been making it for us every year :D

[@halley7023]

He’s wearing red, Chinese New Year colour!

[@thecostumancer8712]

Jujubee in the Jujubes is exactly what I needed this morning.

[@3coins.]

I’m a dog and I really like the sticky cake. Happy New Year China.

[@AnimeROL]

I’m a rooster, which makes me laugh since my mom collects rooster figurines. I tease her about being the first in her collection 😂

[@crickett3536]

Pokemon watch: Tauros is as close to an ox as you can find in Pokemon, and is a common choice for when filling out the Chinese zodiac with Pokemon. PS. I'm an ox myself, so I am happy to see Tauros!

[@stellamantikou4978]

Hahahaha,cool! Tauros is literally the name of the ox in greek by the way.

[@justinwong1072]

Niangao (and any form of glutinous rice cake) can be reheated perfectly well in a microwave.

[@Deamons64]

I lost it at the "stop, hes already dead" clip. I was not expecting that. Good stuff as always max.

[@MrCamposmatt]

Jujubee made an appearance I LOVE IT

[@Joncom98]

Your myth about the Chinese zodiac is legitimately the first time I can remember that I have already known something on this channel. My grandmother told me that story when I was young.

[@roystonsbailey]

"So now, famous for beating dead people, his star was on the rise" lol

[@toby182]

then there's moon cake, and rice dumplings, and delicacies we celebrate with.

[@DrFranklynAnderson]

“The other story starts with a mythical beast from ancient times.” KZbin ad: *P E L O T O N*

[@mortisCZ]

That beast has taken many men and women from our tribe. :-D

I adore how hard you try to ensure you are pronouncing things correctly. It's a small sign of respect, and it honestly makes my little black heart a little less little and black. How many times can I write little in a sentence?

[@TastingHistory]

🤣. Thank you. And yes, I consider it respectful even if sometimes I don’t get them perfect.

@@TastingHistory It's the trying that counts. Anyway, thanks for being wonderful.

[@HOusEoFsiERRa]

My family does it dipped in egg and fried. Another way is we cut the rice cake up into smaller bite-sized pieces and stir-fry them with cut-up sausages, bacon and veggies. We usually eat it for breakfast.

[@jonahwilliams5353]

That opening joke about the pig was delivered so well

[@TheRealNormanBates]

4:11 I love steamed puns myself. 5:45 so what you’re saying is: put them in the water and just leaf them alone.

[@clockmaker9273]

Just so you guys know, we still love to eat niangao today. Its super tasty, and i would definitely recommend it.

[@mountainmolly2726]

This may be the best episode yet. Fascinating history, tasty treats, a shout out to "Billy, don't lose that number", and some epic Mariah Carey shade. What more could you want?

[@cheylikespie]

max is the most wholesome youtuber truly

[@badweetabix]

My compliments Max. As someone who studied Chinese, I can definitively say you nailed the pronunciation. As an aside, it is a common misunderstanding in Western cultures that the dragon is a popular or fortuitous symbol, but it is in fact the opposite. In Chinese myth, the dragon is a god-like being who jealously guards its status. In the eyes of the dragon, for a mere lowly human to associate or attach the symbol of the dragon to himself is to invite the ire of the dragon. More than one elderly Chinese have commented to me that Bruce Lee's untimely deaths was because his nickname was Little Dragon. BTW: I think it tastes better with dates rather than jujubes.

[@TastingHistory]

Thank you 🙏

[@jcla2540]

You did so much research - bravo! I have never had it straight like how you ate it. It tastes better pan fried or air fried with a batter - most commonly eggs and flour. Locals normally thinly slice it, dipped with batter and pan fried with low heat.

[@corarodgers948]

WHY YOU NO TELL ME YOU HAD ADORABLE CAT CHILDREN?!

[@alexforce9]

Wearing red while talking about the lunar new year is a nice touch.

[@HuevoBendito]

Quick, someone else suggest a food that requires non-English sounds to pronounce. The effort that Max goes to for accuracy pleases me.

[@Laticia1990]

Has he touched South America yet?

[@lwolfstar7618]

Maybe something eastern European!

[@lwolfstar7618]

@Heiliger Katholik because its genuinely refreshing that someone puts effort into getting pronunciation of other languages correct. So it is enjoyable, and we appreciate the time, effort and care that goes into it. Like enjoying an intricate, hand made dessert more than a mass produced cake. Max is the artisinal cake made with care.

[@HuevoBendito]

@@lwolfstar7618 Oooo, yeah, let's have Max pronounce some stuff from Slavic languages!

[@ishha14]

Love how your channel has grown and your personality can shine through the camera!

[@TastingHistory]

Thank you 😊

[@crypticmind03]

This has become my new favorite KZbin channel. A huge history buff and foodie 👌. Keep up the amazing work and look forward to new videos!

[@zimnizzle]

“I’m a pig... as is my Chinese Zodiac animal sign.” NGL that took me a minute. And then I died laughing. Now I’m dead.

[@majorfallacy5926]

did you survive?

[@zimnizzle]

@@majorfallacy5926 I did not.

[@sailorbrite]

This channel is why I need a Star Trek food replicator hooked to the internet.

[@uria3679]

6:18 glad to know someone here enjoyed the show

[@leealvin]

Loved the episode. Also Highly recommend pan frying it with a batter. It's still sticky inside but makes grabbing a piece much easier. Also, everyone loves fried food.

[@lecocoabean1432]

That sneaky Jujubee hiding between the others.

[@JDlovescats979]

I always love how you really try to travel the world on this channel instead of just keeping it to one continent!

[@KatherineThrelkeld-kp3od]

This makes a scene in one of my favorite Asian dramas make SO much more sense! Thank you!❤️

[@Keachybean]

When I was very pregnant with my only child, my husband and I went to a Chinese restaurant. On their menu was the zodiac. Turns out our son was going to be a dog and his blurb said, “ Beware of dragons”. My husband and I are both dragons.

[@phillipmosin]

He should get some Gulab Jamun going. That'd be fun to see a historic recipe for

[@nadiasilver5762]

and so messy and sticky! But I love them anyways.

[@RangerMan-yv7rl]

As ethnic Chinese i love Indian. Gulab jamun

[@gryffind0ll]

i really appreciate you taking the time to pronounce the names with accuracy! u r awesome!

[@Pakiu1306]

8:20 “even after they’re dead”. This is known as a courtesy name or temple name. Plus, Chinese names back then didn’t exactly work like modern ones.

[@RaymondHng]

It's a posthumous name.

[@paulherman5822]

With the "confusion" between "nyan cat" and "nian gao," let me add to it. The people who basically run PenBBS, the Chinese fountain pen brand, have a cat named "Niangao." So we come full circle. 😁

[@TastingHistory]

🤣

[@leafinwater]

I'm from Malaysia, and we cut raw niangao into pieces, sandwich between two slices of sweet potato, and fry until everything is golden brown. the outer skin gets crispy and when you bite into the thing it's just the right amount of gooey-sweet-hot-crunchy.

[@main-browsing5521]

it's called tikoy here in PH. I always fry them with eggs to make the outside crispy. Delish 👌👌👌

[@fortheloveofnoise]

We are pig brothers! Also, congratulations on being engaged, I am as well. It would be a shame if their are not some of these foods from antiquity at the wedding.

[@McBeaner720]

Reminds me of that lawyer. “I’m a human I’m not a cat.”

[@lizardbreathh]

😂😂

[@minnesarah]

I really enjoyed how the puns were dialed up to 11 this time.

[@octochan]

Most of Chinese culture and superstition comes from homonyms, so expect a lot of puns