Dining on The Orient Express

[@monyx2926]

As young child, I rode the Orient Express from Istanbul to Paris with my father and little brother. I think it was in 1968 or 1969. This was a multiple day journey.Unbeknownst to my father, the dining car was uncoupled somewhere in Turkey. We had NO dining car for the rest of the trip! As a result, my father would hop off the train, try to exchange money in whatever country we were in and buy a sandwich, or whatever he could get, and run, with us screaming encouragement, to hop on as the train was starting to pull away from the platform. He did it multiple times. Go daddy! We also were lucky enough to have other passengers share food with us. Still, it was a hungry trip.

[@ffwast]

None at all?! What a travesty!

[@monyx2926]

@@ffwast It was a crazy journey. Yes, no food at all.

[@radenakbar]

​@@monyx2926would you mind to explain more of your journey in detail? Like the great things and strange occurrences that happen along the journey to the West?

[@jakekeish]

Awesome story, a solid core memory ❤

[@KTCC13]

Why the hell would they remove the dining car! How cruel but lucky your dad was there to literally run for food

[@jonathanrobertson3406]

I love the idea of the menu constantly changing based on which country you are currently in. That was a stroke of genius. It allowed the passengers to to be culinary tourists without getting off the train.

[@rkstevenson5448]

Modern Amtrak trains try to do something similar, and the menus will often reflect the region the train is in, to include the brands of beers available.

[@lhfirex]

Really hungry passenger on the Orient Express: "I'd kill for some dinner right about now!" Agatha Christie: 👀

[@furiousdestroyer2.050]

lol

[@TastingHistory]

😂

[@SweetMamaG]

Hah!

[@carrierussell9224]

Beautiful!

[@LuzMaria95]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@kirstenpaff8946]

Max: I am going to be classy and eat the potatoes with a fork. Also Max: Eats lamb cutlet like a caveman.

[@botalm1878]

Or..an American...

[@rykehuss3435]

@@botalm1878 never seen an american eat lamb cutlets like that

[@dillonchavez5390]

If you watch the Napoleon video, you’ll come to realize such manners were good enough for the emperor of France! 😉😌

[@sologj]

Meat on bone with a knife? Nooo

[@iphidamasfilms1245]

in one of my etiquette books somewhere it does say that meat with an exposed bone may be picked up with the hands

[@JanetCowan]

My grandfather put himself through college in the late 1930s as a train-board chef. He loved cooking the rest of his life thanks to it, and often spoke of how difficult but fun train cooking was - and how small the kitchen space was! This was a really nice reminder of him, so thank you from my sentimental self. Also, someday I would LOVE to take a first-class trip on the Orient Express!

[@DelGuy03]

One of Dick Francis's murder mysteries, The Edge, takes place primarily on a trans-Canada train for racehorse owners and racing enthusiasts, with a group of actors on board performing a mystery in a series of scenes over the course of the journey. The detective goes under cover as a dining room attendant (who also has to help out in the kitchen with things like dishwashing). It's a lot of fun, as the Francis books generally are.

[@JanetCowan]

Oooh, thanks! Adding that to my TBR!

[@JanetCowan]

I’ll have to ask my parents - he passed away about 11 years ago, but they might know!

[@benjalucian1515]

The British actor who played Poirot on the BBC all those years, David Suchet, took a trip on the Orient Express. It was a documentary on PBS. Totally delightful. I would have loved to have taken that trip.

[@GeeEee75]

Yes. It's on KZbin. kzbin.info/www/bejne/o3TVY4OdZ56JmdEsi=wun3ptQQpU_p9t1U

[@julianne_warren]

Great series, he was Poirot impersonified in every way. I will always remember scene where he prepares his breakfast - cuts bread into perfect squares and adds a dollop of jam on top of each piece. It showcases character's obsession with symmetry.

[@TheOccupants]

The luxury of travel may have been the Orient Express, but the luxury of KZbin is Tasting History with Max Miller.

[@furiousdestroyer2.050]

Real

[@TastingHistory]

Awww thanks ☺️

[@TheOccupants]

@@TastingHistory I love your videos. I remember when you said you were leaving Disney to pursue this further and my wife and I were so happy for you. On another note, what would be the best way to get in touch with you about a shirt design?

[@TastingHistory]

@@TheOccupants email me. [e-mail] I may take a while to respond but know that I will.

[@TheOccupants]

​@@TastingHistory 👍👍

[@SarahMould]

I travelled on the Orient Express, though not in its heyday, unfortunately. My mother took me and my three brothers from London to Istanbul, to visit my father. We were only in second class, but I do remember that the food was appropriate for the location - some lovely waiters taught my brothers (aged 5 to 9) to twirl spaghetti in Italy. And I partiularly recall the dining car used in Yugoslavia - it was a beautiful period piece with a polished brass plaque stating that it was made in Swindon in 1912.

[@ejl1221]

Heyday or not, very cool.

[@j.rosadahlia3960]

That was cool! How everything about Orient Express in this video sounds exquisite and I could only dream to experience it.

[@rickvenuto8944]

Wow, what an incredible experience that must've been. My father, being a first-generation Italian American, demanded that I learn to twirl my spaghetti. He was very loving, but that was one thing I had to do.

[@theakspud]

It was max, in the food cart, with poisoned potatoes. Clue trained me

[@TastingHistory]

😂

[@weldonwin]

Zat is where you are wrong...

[@AnaxErik4ever]

Very funny.

[@Cottinmouth]

It was actually with the hard tack

[@jerseygirlinatl7701]

@@Cottinmouth 'clack clack'

[@brettevill9055]

A similar fate has befallen two long train routes in Australia - the Indian-Pacific from Perth to Sydney and the Ghan from Adelaide to Darwin. The airlines drove them out of business as a practical means of travel, but they have been kept on the rails as indulgent gourmet rail-cruises.

[@Zestrayswede]

Max has mentioned Escoffier so many times by now that I recognize the man by sight and can guess when he will appear.

[@alexfarkas3881]

Same!!! I was gearing up for it! I was like, okay, French, correct time period, fancy dining establishment - Escoffier mention imminent in three, two, one... there it iiiiiiis.

[@RockNRollHorrorshow]

Escoffier is really the equivilant to Michael Eisner for Defunctland, but it makes sense.

[@alexfarkas3881]

​@@RockNRollHorrorshow that comparison made me burst out laughing, but you are SO right 😀

[@melissalambert7615]

In all fairness, Escoffier was all that back in the day. Most high-end restaurants made his dishes. Some still do. He is bound to pop up every once in a while.

[@Nuttyirishman85]

@@melissalambert7615That’s who’s dishes you learn in culinary school.

[@cg9952]

I worked as a Chef on the Hood River Railroad. We had hotel pans w baffle holes to stop the sloshing of liquids. 140 poached eggs for Egg Benedict every Sunday Brunch.

[@TentinQuarantino_]

Awesome! I read that stoves on yachts are sometimes in gimbals, so even when the boat wasn’t level, the cooking surface was. My grandpa built a little 18 foot motorboat when I was in grade school and he had the beverage holders on gimbals. I asked him how he thought of that, and he showed me in a book. We used to take that boat all around the junction between the Columbia, the Snake, and the Yakima rivers.

[@CAP198462]

One of the funniest stories from the Orient Express is the story of Paul Deschanel one time President of France. It happened on June 23, 1920. Somehow he fell out of the train and escaped injury. He was found by a night watchman who assumed him to be drunk or a lunatic. When asked who he was, Deschanel truthfully said he was the president of France. The watchman’s reply is recorded as “Oh yeah, and I’m the Emperor Napoleon.”

[@markrossow6303]

《nice》

[@tanikokishimoto1604]

I want the story as to how come he fell off the train...

[@heidimisfeldt5685]

😁

[@TroubleToby3040]

The stories BIG finale? They were BOTH telling the truth!! No. No, that doesn't make sense, that doesn't make sense, at all. 🤷‍♂😁

[@ejl1221]

@@TroubleToby3040 Don't let that ruin a good story.

[@williamrobinson7435]

The idea of lemon butter with lamb chops is genius. A perfect compliment to the richness of the meat. A typical Escoffier move, I think. Nice one Max! 🌟👍

[@Марта-й7е]

В Гърция ядох ястие с печено агнешко месо, като сосът беше с лимони. Това олекотява мазнината от месото.

[@Shore1985]

Ferdinand I of Bulgaria was actually a huge train nerd and it is often said that he personally steered the orient express through Bulgaria despite never possessing a proper lincence. It is also said that often times the passengers, not knowing who was steering the train, complained because of the abrupt breaking maneuvers He was also the first monarch to ever fly in a plane which is also quite cool i think

[@henriquesalvatti544]

The tsar of Bulgaria had so many train related miscellaneous adventures, i read one time that he was travelling with other heads of states and got into a misunderstanding with the austrian dignataries, so he blocked the austrians from passing through his train cart to access the dinning cart, denying them from dinning privileges for the rest of the trip.

[@mhrgall]

😄Im listening to Franz Ferdinand right now! (spoooooooky!!)

[@skyhawk_4526]

I thought it was the tracks that steered the train. 😉

[@naamadossantossilva4736]

What a weird guy.

[@trustytrest]

@@skyhawk_4526 Considering the complaints were about braking, one might imagine he was trying to pull the world's first train drifting.

[@MadCatAttack123]

I love how Max was like "Make sure to eat before getting on the train" like any of us was ever going to ride it 🤣

[@TheDrinkMoxie]

I'm glad Max chose this menu instead of dish's best served cold revenge.

[@TastingHistory]

😂

[@kathleenhensley5951]

He's not a Klingon. (nor an Italian!)

[@fariesz6786]

you cannot fully appreciate Tasting History until you watch it in the original Klingon

[@achanwahn]

With pinto beans and muffins... (Sad because no one will get the quote, but I'll still post)

[@audiooddities9982]

​@kathleenhensley5951 as someone who had a full blood Italian mother, I approve this message.

[@jh2309]

Great video Max. Just a little correction. Hitler did not have the car blown up he had it taken back to Berlin and put in a Museum, it was the war memorial that he had blown up. We blew up the dining car during a bombing raid in 1944.

[@BornRemaining]

Duchess potato tips! Use the ricer before the strainer. You don't have to choose one or the other and it will make your life easier w/o sacrificing potato silkiness. Pat your potato mixture into buttered food-safe molds and turn them out onto your baking tray. They will be prettier, the portions will be consistent, most shapes will prevent burning while promoting even cooking, yadda yadda.

[@1firstchef]

also, please don't over cook the lamb. Thank you.

[@thedarkdane7]

I would totally be up for an Orient Express series!

[@benjalucian1515]

I second this!

[@allgirlreview433]

At least one of the movie versions of "Murder on the Orient Express" begins with people having dinner at a hotel in Istanbul. I didn't know why when I watched it so thanks for the education.

[@resulc8693]

Because Istanbul. Have you tried the food there? It was (and arguably still is) the most well connected city in the world to bring together all sorts of ingredients, spices, techniques and people, so I doubt that even the rich people on the Orient Express would have chosen to skip a Turkish (Ottoman) dinner and dine on the train.

[@allgirlreview433]

@@resulc8693 I lived in Turkey for four years, but only got to Istanbul once. It is a lovely country with amazing food.

[@Марта-й7е]

@@resulc8693 Добрата храна в Истанбул не обяснява защо вагона с кухнята е бил прикачван към влака чак на българска територия. Любопитно ми е. А дали е бил откачван пак в България преди влакът да влезе в Турция?

[@peterbernhardt5169]

@@resulc8693 You're right but, have you seen the 1974 film version? Poirot complains to his friend about the poor quality of his dinner and shows further disdain when the hotel orchestra serenades diners with their rendition of "On The Good Ship Lollipop."

[@VictoriaHill-vv3qb]

In the book, Poirot has dinner at the Tokatlian Hotel before getting on the train-he initially means to stay for a few days after working in Damascus, but gets an urgent telegram calling him back to London and decides to return that night.

[@LordGreystoke]

My parents traveled on the Orient Express back in the early 90's, I believe. They started in Paris and ended in Istanbul. It was one of the highlights of their lives together. Before my mother retired from dancing, she specialized in Middle Eastern dance and performed on the train in one of the cars for all of the absolutely flabbergasted passengers. It was an evening to be remembered forever.

[@godschild1305]

My grandson introduced me to your series "Tasting History". I have enjoyed all the videos, thank you for your work and sharing. We made the hard tack, and actually enjoyed it! I do believe this "menu" will be another well worth testing out in my kitchen. Love the history behind the dishes you make.

[@ffwast]

*[clack clack]*

[@mounamounayer4818]

I can attest to what an amazing experience the Orient Express is. I travelled from London to Venice on this equisite train in the mid 1980s. Everyone was required to change for every meal into a glamorous outfit. It was early March with mist-laden wintery landscapes rushing past as my family and I sat down to splendid meal after splendid meal. One could easily imagine a little, rotund Belgian detective lurking behind an aspidistra scratching his little grey cells. Thank you for bringing back these memories Max in another fab episode. 🥂

[@lawriefoster5587]

Brava!!

[@bonnienichalson5151]

What a wonderful experience:) That was the new Orient Express I was at the train station in Baden-Baden waiting for a train to Switzerland when the Orient Express Arrived at the train station on its way to Vienna! Always wanted to take that train 🚆 Saddly it doesn't go through Baden-Baden any long :( You can still take the Orient Express its not the Same route:) its still the Coolest train in Europe 🇪🇺

[@DB-me7ol]

I remember missing school because I read the book throughout the night. Agatha is truly a queen!

[@anndownsouth5070]

Her books did have that effect on one. I myself have lost many hours of sleep to her writings.

[@kathleenhensley5951]

I enjoyed her novels, really did. Easy reading and just plain fun.

[@sandrastreifel6452]

Great for kids, as Kathleen said. She was my favourite author, when I was a girl.

[@excession3076]

Easy to read yet deceptively good. I think we have all had an all nighter reading AC. Also 1) I can never work out "who dunnit" 2) You pick one of her books years after you have finished it for a reread, and you can't remember "who dunnit" 3) Unless they all "did it" and that's cheating.

[@jacobshelt01]

Good for you hercule poirot was one of my favorite detectives 🕵️

[@robodd4694]

This was amazing. Thanks! A life long dream but only if I could go back in time and take it in the 20's-40's. Oh who am I kidding, I would ride it now if I could. My only experience is in the classic 1974 (and the ONLY one that should be watched) Murder on the Orient Express movie. That movie dripped with elegance and class. It is absolutely a miracle how they managed to cook world class meals on a train!

[@DigiRangerScott]

You know the food was good because nobody died

[@christinesteckel3390]

😏

[@XBadger1]

Well there was that murder on the orient express ;)

[@wolfranga8477]

​@XBadger1 Well, the victim was a criminal so its fine

[@DigiRangerScott]

@@XBadger1 Yes but the murderer didn’t prepare it poorly or do some ghastly combination of foods

[@matszz]

The vegans have entered the chat.

[@timothypachonka8642]

As a history geek, this is my favorite cooking show. I have done many of the recipes over the last few years, but your research and attention to the (sometimes) odd details makes the videos. Kudos!

[@mhrgall]

I just recently lost my job. Been a chef and culinary teacher since 1997. Yes, it sucks:-) But then I re-discovered the gorgeous Max and all his unbelievable food-history knowledge, culinary skills and just all-round charm and love! Thanks so much again, Max!! HUGE respect and love from Denmark!!

[@PhotonBeast]

I'm sorry that you lost your job but I hope you find a new one that is even better!

[@mhrgall]

@@PhotonBeast thank you so much! 🙂

[@thedarkdane7]

I visited Denmark in 2022 and thought the food was amazing. I hope you get back into the food scene in Denmark soon, so you can help it remain awesome!

[@ingridkeller9673]

Hope the job search is quick and successful and you love your new position even more than the old one.

[@mhrgall]

@@ingridkeller9673 thank tou so much 🙂

[@psychojoe4764]

The Orient Express has always been a weird fasination point for me, so I'm super excited for this one!

[@tipulsar85]

The Orient Express is the only real train that has its own roleplaying game campaign set. Horror on the Orient Express is for Call of Cthulu, and that RPG uses the 1920s and 30s as the main setting, which is why the Orient Express got used as the basis in the first place.

[@trustytrest]

ok

[@p0kevet13]

Isn’t that still running a kickstarter for the board game adaptation?

[@alexfarkas3881]

@tipulsar85 Ooooh, adding that to my list of things to play. Thank you!

[@39401JLB]

@@alexfarkas3881 Call of Cthulu is more popular around the world than D&D. Unlike D&D it is skill-based, with a percentile task resolution mechanic. Beware, though -- 1} combat in CoC is quite deadly and there is no fast healing, and 2} the setting is deliberately dark, with many no-win scenarios available if the players are foolish, hasty, needlessly bloodthirsty, or power-hungry. Probably the most important skill on the character sheet is 'Library use'. It is a real blast to play, though. The group I am in has been playing through Horror On The Orient Express, and (after more than a year) we are finally in Constantinople -- our group of five has seen two deaths, and three characters retired (one for losing an arm, the other two forever insane), and we have gotten very lucky. This same GM has failed to finish their last two attempts at this campaign because the entire party died in a single encounter in both.

[@thiamay7927]

There is also a great board game called Murder Express that is like clue on the Orient Express

[@MCalvin1955]

Being in Foodservice for over 30 years and enjoy history, I find this an excellent channel and very informative. I’m not sure if you ever checked The Grand Hotel on Mackinaw Island but I’m sure you would love the history and the food is excellent-5 Star in my opinion. You do a great job Max.

[@CyFed_Republic_of_Kaltovar]

When you mentioned King Leo I was like "Oh boy I wonder if he knows how fantastically evil that guy was" and then you were like "And he was insanely evil" and I'm like ok cool I'm glad that memo has made it to the cooking community too.

[@ThinWhiteAxe]

This is also a history channel

[@CyFed_Republic_of_Kaltovar]

​@@ThinWhiteAxe Yes I know. I have watched the channel for years. His primary focus is not geopolitics and consequently it was not presumptive he would know about the many hideous villainies of King Leopold II. Most important, my comment would not be as amusing if I wrote it like "I'm glad that memo has made it to the cooking historian community too."

[@RobertR3750]

Hearing about how evil King Leopold was makes me wonder if the character of Crown Prince Leopold in The Illusionist was based on him, since he was so evil, although IMDB says he was broadly based on the historical Crown Prince Rudolf.

[@originaluddite]

I gather that the memo got around even at the time.

[@tinyb610]

"Leopold the second" Wait ? Wasn't he...... "Biggest monsters of all time" Ah yes there it is.

[@narwhalethefancy]

5:59 Fun fact! The cooktop on the Orient Express is weighted and free on an axis, so its always parallel to the ground rather than rolling with the train!

[@GrizzAxxemann]

Interesting but somewhat unrelated anecdote: my Opa worked his way from Montreal to Edmonton working as a breakfast cook on the CNR. Now here's the crazy part: Opa had no idea how to cook, knew next to no English and had to learn both on a train. By the time he got to Edminton, he was a couple hundred dollars richer, knew enough English to find a laborer's job and made the best damned bacon & egg breakfast you'd ever have. To this day I still crave his bacon fat basted sunny side up eggs, and even though he taught me exactly how to do it, I have never nailed it. Thanks for bringing some fond memories of my Opa back to the front of my mind, Max!

[@fuzzyhead878]

That's an awesome story. Kind of reminds me of my dad, though he was in defense engineering. No English at the time, but he was one of the best employees at his company. I'm guessing CNR is Canadian National?

[@Nunofurdambiznez]

What the H*LL is an "opa"?

[@DebatingWombat]

@@Nunofurdambiznez “Grandfather” (in German).

[@johnransom1146]

I took the old CPR train from Toronto to Calgary. Then in 2001 VIA Rail Toronto to Vancouver. The food was great on both. VIA had alot of game and northern fish like arctic char on the menu. Pacific salmon, bison, venison etc

[@fariesz6786]

that's adorable 🤍

[@kmabythesea]

I saw it in person at a station in Austria in the late 80s & truly gasped out loud. It was preparing to depart but a kind porter let me peek a bit, wished me well & hoped I would join them on a journey soon. I am still hoping.

[@richardbeebe8398]

Delightful as always! One more popular culture footnote: After Agatha Christie's "Murder on the Orient Express” was published, a second British master of suspense - director Alfred Hitchcock - set his delightful and thrilling "The Lady Vanishes" (1938) aboard the train.

[@asagoldsmith3328]

You had me at Garum but I have recently started binging your vids again, your format and delivery are still just the best!

[@historicalaccounts3550]

Max: The company really relied on… Me: Don’t say it, don’t say it! Max: Escoffier’s recipes. Me: The mad man, he has done it again.

[@Dabednego]

European Travel companies couldn’t get enough of that short king

[@alexfarkas3881]

That guy is behind everything, I swear. Max: (pulling mask off of a bedsheet ghost tied to a chair) Auguste Escoffier?! Culinary genius Auguste Escoffier: And I would have gotten away with it, if it wasn't for you meddling KZbinrs!

[@fuzzyhead878]

I swear it's like he's the Henry Clay of fine dining.

[@Freezair]

Is there a Tasting History drinking game yet? "Escoffier mentioned; take a sip of sparkling wine!"

[@mirandarensberger6919]

​@@FreezairHardtack mentioned [clack clack]; take a nip of grog. Now if Max can manage to work Escoffier and hardtack into the same video, I will be truly impressed.

[@TheCynedd]

One of my favourite cookbooks is "Dining By Rail." That book is a compendium of recipes of the glory days of Canada and USA dining cars. Intermixed with the recipes is a wealth of history when we had the civilized opting of eating, sleeping and traveling by railroad.

[@tana3875]

A TRAIN EPISODE !! That’s what I was hoping for with the transportation theme. I’m so excited ❤

[@stevenworden7890]

Sheldon would be so pleased!🙂

[@thecraftycyborg9024]

I’m having an awful day. My pain levels are through the roof, nothing went right, and just when I thought I was done, my cat peed down a heating register… The first thing I wanted when I *finally* got to sit down with my dinner was to watch you. I’ve been here from almost the beginning and truly adore your content. It makes me happy and relaxed in a way I can’t describe. This channel is my happy place. Thank you so damn much for all you’ve put into this channel. It is deeply appreciated. ❤

[@PokhrajRoy.]

Honestly, I want to see Dress History KZbinrs, Max and Jose (among a few other KZbinrs) to go on the refurbished Orient Express.

[@TastingHistory]

Starting a gofundme 😂

[@PokhrajRoy.]

@@TastingHistoryPatrons, start your contributions

[@authentikata5535]

Dress History?? Tell me more!

[@PokhrajRoy.]

@@authentikata5535 You know, like Costuming Drama and Abby Cox, Bernadette and Karolina

[@ThinWhiteAxe]

​@@authentikata5535check out Bernadette Banner

[@susiefisch]

Max - there are a couple of very complete KZbin videos of people riding the current iteration of the Orient Express. In at least one I watched, the meals get special attention. I don’t know if I’ll ever get the opportunity to ride the OE, but it’s a dream of mine. Thanks for the recipes.

[@John_Fugazzi]

Max should definitely ride on the current iteration of the Orient Express, have a fine dinner and make an episode of it for Tasting History.

[@deniaridley]

Yes!

[@gigicaresse503]

I don't think that's within his budget. Last I checked, it's 1000's of dollars per night. There's lots of videos of it on KZbin, and some rooms can reach $20,000 or more.

[@rickvenuto8944]

I think this is my favorite tasting history. Not only did I learn a lot about the Orient Express that I did not know, but I also loved that you made the distinction between an ocean liner and a cruise ship. Most people don't know that there is a difference and you said it perfectly.

[@bennett8535]

It's a bucket list item to ride the restored Orient Express, which runs once a year and takes about five days. You are assigned a butler, have to dress formally for dinner, etc. But the cost! Last I checked it was around $7,000.

[@jonesnori]

Eep! That's a lot of dough.

[@tanikokishimoto1604]

Ack!!!

[@bennett8535]

@@カスカディア国人 Yeah, I think it's a different company. The one I referred to has been running the route once a year for a decade or two. If I recall correctly, as the last I looked it up was BC (Before Covid).

[@nottarealguy3954]

Still a way better deal than the Star Wars hotel.

[@bennett8535]

@@nottarealguy3954 LOL. I saw that post too. Yeah, for sure much better.

[@frankieamsden7918]

Max's next Vaca..... The Orient Express! I love this video. As a child my mother took me to Shelburne Museum in Vermont every summer. They have some Pullman private cars you can walk through that was my favorite part of the museum. I used to imagine what it was like to travel in such luxury.

[@aaronhurst4379]

You could say the chefs who oversaw that dish back then were... well trained.

[@ellaisplotting]

*loud audible groan, extremely reluctant applause*

[@aaronhurst4379]

@@ellaisplotting Thank you, I'm here all night 😜

[@dariusweisz7440]

I live in Vienna and sometimes I see the Orient Express the train is truly beautiful

[@richardcoleman3425]

Back in the '70s our Junior school's Dinner Ladies would make Duchess Potatoes periodically, though I shouldn't imagine the spuds were twice-cooked and passed through a sieve! Also, they were never piped into pretty shapes, but rather were formed using an ice-cream scoop... Still, I loved them!

[@michaelsquires1218]

Enjoyed the program! However, the trip in 1966 from Istanbul to Munich had no dining car and we subsisted on stale bread, canned Vienna sausages, and canned mandarins doled out frugally. In 1968 I took the train from Paris to Istanbul and arrived with a very serious case of flu since the car I was in had had the heat turned off in order to punish the mostly Turkish families on board. One of the Turkish families kept me alive with blankets and food until we got to Istanbul. The Turkish train to Ankara was wonderful!

[@GeeEee75]

You don't catch flu from being cold. It's a viral infection, similar to Covid (but not the same).

[@anna_in_aotearoa3166]

😯 Gosh, it sounds like your 1960s were full of dramatic travels!! Love that the passengers were looking after each other in hardship. Feels like the train company were definitely ripping off their passengers on those trips!

[@aonairskies]

why were they punishing the turkish families?

[@NCamico]

For the curious, there's a set of "Behind the Bastards" podcast episodes dedicated to King Leopold II, and to call him one of history's greatest monsters is almost an understatement.

[@caesarsushi3238]

He actually wasn't at all directly involved, it was the local (Belgian) government that did everything on their own, don't get me wrong though he was a complete piece of shit that not only allowed everything to happen but actively stopped others from ending the practice I just want to clarify that he's not some unique monster just one of many that is often scapegoated so everyone else involved can wash their hands clean

[@sandrastreifel6452]

But he was a ROYAL bastard!

[@sandrastreifel6452]

Thanks, I spent a pleasant afternoon knitting and listening to this podcast about this horrifying monster.

[@GodlessHeathen]

Came here for this, didn't want to be the only one mentioning BTB, but it's not often my "awful people" podcast and my "really nice guy who makes food" entertainment collide.

[@BingQilin]

*googles Leopold II* OH GOD WHAT THE FUCK

[@frankharrington4881]

Love love love your channel! Even my husband Frank(whose KZbin acct I post on) loves your channel! I am terminally ill and can't eat much, but watching your channel actually gives me an appetite! I grew up in Asheville NC and would love for you to do a menu from the Biltmore House in Asheville! Thank you God bless!!!! Patricia Gambino Harrington

[@fuzzyhead878]

I was ecstatic when I saw that you made a train-related video, and of the Orient Express of all trains! I hope you'll do something on Harvey Houses in the future, but this was great too. Also waving hi to Snivy in the back there with the lego Orient Express. Nothing but the best for him of course!

[@mylesjude233]

What are Harvey Houses

[@fuzzyhead878]

@@mylesjude233 Harvey houses were restaurants that served railroad passengers back on the old days. They were owned by the Fred Harvey Company, who also did hotels and other railroad-related hospitality services. They haven't been around since the 1960s but the company who bought them out specializes in lodges and accommodations at national parks. Most notably a few accommodations in Grand Canyon National park are originally part of or an homage to the Fred Harvey Experience, as well as the Grand Canyon Railway.

[@lonelystrategos]

What is it about trains that fascinates people so much? I think Saxon put it quite well: "Ninety tons of thunder Lighting up the sky Steaming red hot pistons See the wheels flash by Hear the whistle blowing Streaking down the track If I ever had my way I'd bring the princess back one day"

[@fuzzyhead878]

@@lonelystrategos The way I put it: “Ferrari’s have a few hundred horsepower…the old steam powered beast over there has a few thousand.”

[@niallblack2794]

​@@lonelystrategosyessss I sang that along in his voice exactly as I heard him sing it when I saw Saxon live the day I finished my Advanced Higher Chemistry Investigation writeup in a pub ib Glasgow before I walked down the street to go to the gig 😂 Thank you though. Saxon really do put it best.

[@susanschaffner4422]

Good one for all of us who love the romance of trains and food. Thanks, Max.

[@HazelReserveUnit]

As a massive train nerd, I've been waiting ages for you to covering the most famous train in the world! The VSOE's history is really amazing, the fact it's lasted for so long through two world wars, the cold war, and the rise of high-speed rail and other forms of international travel is a testament to the service it's provided. I don't know if you take requests but the "Electroburger" of the Chicago, North Shore & Milwaukee Railroad's Electroliner trainsets would be an interesting topic. The recipie itself is rather simple, with a 1961 menu for the Tavern-Lounge on-board saying; "Selected beef-tenderloin cooked to retain all its juicy delicious flavor...served on a tasty roll...with potato chips, relish and coffee, tea or milk...all for $1.00."

[@katarjin]

Question for you oh knower of trains....any suggestions on who to check out on here if I want to know more about trains? Took Amtrack (Mostly Capitol Limited) a few times last year and enjoyed it quite a bit.

[@HazelReserveUnit]

@@katarjin There’s a lot of resources online but if you want more on the history, American Rails has pages covering the first steps up to modern day.

[@katarjin]

@@HazelReserveUnit Thank ya, it will hopefully help me understand how we lost so many rail lines..I am betting its greed.

[@tomaspesce9950]

As a huge train nerd, and also, a huge tasting history with Max Miller nerd, this is the top content I can get online and there is no discussion

[@Judyag1]

This was one of the best segments of Tasting History! I loved the little train car on the kitchen counter, as I’m always looking for a prop that goes with the segment. It was Max in the dining car with the lamb cutlet bones.

[@RyllenKriel]

You had me at lamb... That's really such a simple and perfect preparation with salt, pepper, clarified butter and lemon juice with parsley.

[@markflacy7099]

"Once I got past the burning..." I'm sorry, but I laughed at that.

[@benjalucian1515]

So dangerous. There was actually a man who died of shock because he was given a piece of fish I think it was to taste in a cafe I think? It was too hot and he quickly swallowed it down, but it seriously burned him internally and he ended up dying.

[@MrNoipe]

@@benjalucian1515 its not dangerous at all. One person is an exception.

[@fraum3725]

@@MrNoipe But on the long run, too many hot dishes and/or beverages increase the risk of esophagus cancer 😳

[@Pandorash8]

It cracked me up too 😂 Made me think of Ralph from The Simpsons, “It tastes like burning.” 🤣

[@DriedPersimon]

As a french I have to say your pronunciations of french words have gotten much better over the years. good job

[@lisahoshowsky4251]

The really polite “quite warm” after admitting he often burns his tongue and got “past the burning” was very peak unintended humour for this channel😅

[@dmays67]

That face you pulled when you took a bite of the lamb. Same one I pull when I'm eating (esp) lamb chops! Thanks as always.

[@eflarsen]

"you don't want big-old lamb chops" yes i do. this whole recipe looks and sounds delicious!

[@ChrisMattern-oh6wx]

Big old lamb chops can indeed be great, but they aren't the point of this dish and wouldn't be ideal here.

[@Beryllahawk]

This was SO NEAT! I only just saw a video yesterday discussing the train itself, so this was just fabulous! Love the little model train car in your background as well!

[@TreyMcDonaldAnimator]

Ah my GOD yes, I am so fascinated by the Orient Express! That I did NOT know was actually a real train until years later LOL

[@sjlo5]

Rode the Canadian Rocky Mountaineer (Gold) last year. It too had delightful, delicious food.

[@veridico84]

My grandmothers house cook used to make exactly this meal with those potatoes. I absolutely love them, the "dryness" actually is something I really enjoyed, they are extremely savoury.

[@furrycircuitry2378]

Your family had a house cook? Must've been a fat cat life brah 🤑🤑😁

[@lilyn7497]

​@@furrycircuitry2378 grandmother's house cook ≠ family house cook. I'm assuming the commenter is probably an older adult. not only rich people had cooks and maids in the early 20th c

[@kjarakravik4837]

​​@@lilyn7497My mom's side of the family is from ex-yugoslavia, and as recently as during my grandmother's generation a lot of families had a maid that would either stay with them or occasionally visit. You were supposed to eat dinner with her or at least make her coffee when she comes over to clean

[@niallblack2794]

​​@@kjarakravik4837my spouse has a 'house fairy' come in once a week where she's from and I always make her a cup of tea or more appropriately some chilled filtered tap water from the fridge or some chilled juice. Since ya know. It's a significantly hotter country than the UK. Same as i always give the building's gardener huge huge classes of tap water because he really needs it with how hard he works. A couple of times since my spouse would be asleep at the time I'd actually intentionally buy is each a chocolate bar at the shops when I get the groceries and then sit on the back step and eat our chocolate bars and drink something cold together with the house fairy and the absolute legend that is the gardener. Shout out to Jabu and Sthembiso 😍 I will always buy you guys chocolate again... Man I miss them 😭 Because they'd never buy it for themselves usually. We'd have such a good rest eating those 🤣

[@tanikokishimoto1604]

I'd probably put some of that lemon butter on those potatoes.

[@AnimeAlliance11]

I've been really into your channel lately. Thank you so much for the delightful commentary to your content. You really go above and beyond explaining the dish and the times they were introduced. Thanks for the amazing videos!

[@tyneishalewis9917]

Another awesome episode! I loved Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express book. The best adaptation is from the Hercule Poirot series from David Suchet. So, this is a cool topic for this episode. A lot of thought goes into travel menus. If possible, I would love to see an episode with menus from Agatha Christie's works!

[@kramermariav]

David Suchet is the only Poirot in my book, lol

[@idalily3810]

I am partial to the movie with Albert Finney, myself. Christie herself said it was fantastic.

[@michaelwarenycia7588]

​@@kramermariavagreed. Suchet all the way.

[@illya7]

This was such a 1970s dinner party dish too! Though we used a wider star nozzle to get more pronounced ridges & the real secret was to pipe and open freeze them. Then you put them from the freezer into a very hot oven so they were crisp outside and creamy inside and garnished them with toasted flaked almonds. I was little and didn't care about lamb but we did get a small batch of potatos for our dinner before we were sent to bed so the adults could dine(and drink!) in peace.

[@mattpowell06]

As a railroader, may I request more historical train episodes? Loved this!

[@WasatchWind]

If you haven't seen them before, I recommend Mark "Hyce" Huber's videos on firebox cooking : ) kzbin.info/www/bejne/gZfNiGONhMShfZI&pp=iAQB

[@philllllllll]

Duchess potatoes are amazing with any meat served with gravy.

[@Tom-ld1kh]

Max, you are truly a superb storyteller. I bet you could read a box of cereal and make it enjoyable. Bravo sir, bravo.

[@Pygar2]

"The first "modern" cereal was a product called Filboid Studge..."

[@anna_in_aotearoa3166]

An episode on history of breakfast cereals would be fun! 😆 From the Sanitarium bran cereal meant to discourage m*sturbation, to America's odd habit of massively sugaring up kids at breakfast! Although I wonder what recipe one could try... perhaps that for original bran flakes? 🤢

[@lonelystrategos]

Very good episode! My step-grandfather was a cook on the Blue Train, a South African luxury train going from Pretoria to Cape Town.

[@jonesnori]

Didn't Christie write a Blue Train mystery, too? Oops - different Blue Train. Never mind!

[@Zestrayswede]

7:00 "In Europe at the time..." Oh no, Max, that is still the case today for the most part. Europe's railways is still quite fragmented.

[@timothystamm3200]

Almost like someone trying this again, but with high-speed trains might get somewhere with the idea.

[@oldfrend]

huh. i thought the EU had done away with laborious border crossings.

[@XMysticHerox]

@@oldfrend It's not customs or whatever thats the issue. It's different standardsfor gauges, electrification etc etc. Which is the case anywhere really. It'd just be especially desirable to not have the issue in Europe. The EU is actually pushing for standardizing the rail networks.

[@Zestrayswede]

@@XMysticHerox Also different railway operators and right of way and the fact that there is no unified site for booking. And that railways up until very recently have been built for a national market rather than a European one so cross-border railway lines have been deprioritized

[@XMysticHerox]

@@Zestrayswede Those are minor issues compared to things that require renovating the entire network.

[@jmcota1964]

@tastinghistory, Max, I have binge watched all your videos in the past three weeks!! I love your content! You are so great at giving everyone a view into historical cuisine!! Love all of it!!! Keep it up!

[@Hallows4]

Obviously not the Orient Express, but when I traveled from Prague to Vienna and from Vienna to Budapest, I was stunned at the quality of the food. Never been on a train with an actual kitchen, just a snack bar “dinning car”.

[@benjalucian1515]

OMG! He did it! I put this suggestion down several times. I guess I never expected him to do it, thinking there was too much other food history for him to do! But he did! Love it! So, left on my list: 1. Black rat recipe 2. -Orient Express meal- 3. Malt week 4. Waffle party

[@anna_in_aotearoa3166]

Oh my gosh, the rat... 😂 Perhaps an episode on medieval siege warfare? Though I've no idea if one can order culinary-grade rat, even in this day & age of the internet?? Speaking of culinary taboos I don't think he's explored any horse or dog recipes either, although I suspect comment section would probably explode....!! As a vegetarian I find it really fascinating how different peoples, both today & historically, draw the lines re which creatures are okay to eat (either religiously or culturally)?And how that can change significantly over time. E.g. the Romans ate a range of birds & critters that'd boggle the mind of most modern Italians. Chinese cuisine even today seems to be pretty broad in "edible" categories both flesh/fowl & vegetable/fungi, I suspect as a result of millenia of periodic famines?

[@benjalucian1515]

@@anna_in_aotearoa3166 It is very interesting. I watch several several westerners in Japan channels, and some have traveled to several areas of Japan where things like bear and horse are on the menu. I'm not sure what the US government uses to decide what meats are allowable for our tables so I'm sure Max would have trouble getting food grade rats to make the dish.

[@anna_in_aotearoa3166]

@benjalucian1515 Yeah, saw a thumbnail recently for cooking giant black bear paw in Japan, which boggled my mind rather!! 😵 Those channels sound cool - may I ask names? Let's Ask Shogo and Samurai Matcha provide really intriguing intrinsic Japanese perspectives, but it's always interesting to hear from the extrinsic foreigner's experience too!

[@benjalucian1515]

@@anna_in_aotearoa3166 I watch Abroad in Japan, the Anime Man and Sharmeleon.

[@anna_in_aotearoa3166]

@benjalucian1515 Thank you! Always on the look-out for new excellent creators to add to my list (& try to keep up with, sigh... so much great content, so little time, yay for hazardous levels of multitasking! 😅)

[@AnaxErik4ever]

Hello Snivy in the background. Hearing about the food on the historical Orient Express makes me think of another luxury sleeper train based on it: the Excess Express from Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door. No murders to solve during the chapter where you ride on it, but plenty of mysteries and tasks to take on. The first one involves Chef Shimi’s stew pot, and the stew in it, going missing, thanks to a certain rotund Gourmet Toad who was riding just for the food. Hercule Mario anyone? Lol Ah, memories.

[@blackdragon7979]

Though I can't figure out what Snivy has in connection to everything yet

[@SaphirXC3]

Max mentioning vintages of the Moselle, while I'm savoring a glass of a Moselle vintage became a new personal favorite of Tasting History moments 😄 Greetings from Trier by the Moselle river valley 😊

[@kruaser123]

I first heard about the Orient Express from a Call of Cthulhu campaign, but I didn't quite get why it was such a big deal till I saw the map of the entire railway. Forget the luxury car stuff this thing managed to connect to every single major city in Europe at the time. That railroad is friggin crazy.

[@anna_in_aotearoa3166]

One of the things that makes me saddest about the petroleum boom & the era of car obsession is the way it destroyed most railway networks? The remaining ones here seem to really struggle to break even. Yet it's such a great way to travel - you can read, sleep, eat, socialise & even walk while traveling (unlike on a bus!) And it's an effective way of moving large populations with minimal disruption to housing areas, in comparison to highways & motorway junctions?

[@ps5392]

Such a great series, Max. Always enjoyable. Keep up the amazing content.

[@hiyahandsome]

The look on your face when you bit into that lambchop was priceless, Max! Beverly Nichols! I love his books, Merry Hall and Down the Garden Path. As you probably know he was a prolific writer who seems forgotten today, so thank you for bringing him and his charming books to the attention of your fans. Cheers~

[@amandapittar9398]

Dear Max, just got your book. Bought it as a birthday present for myself. I LOVE vintage cook books. I stayed up until 3am and fell asleep reading your wonderful book. Thank you for all the hard work that went into it. Cook books are twice as hard, first you have to have the recipe, then you have to write well about it. I’m now finished and waiting for volume two….❤😊

[@garywait3231]

I love lamb, I love train travel, I love "Murder on the Orient Express " -- and most of all, I love Tasting History with Max Miller ! Thanks for another delightfully informative episode !!😂

[@larrylawson5172]

Max, I hope you will expand this genre of food stories and explore the many fine dining opportunities that were available on American trains prior to the 1970's. Each railroad had their own unique place setting. They had their own distinct famous foods. You can go down this wonderful rabbit hole and find real quality food. Start with Bacon and Egg Souffle on the Illinois Central. Apple Pancakes on the Southern Pacific. Continue with the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Special Sandwich. Hoosier Grilled Roast Beef, Monon Style. Baked Potato Pennsylvania, Missouri Pacific Cole Slaw and finish with Banana Blanc Mange on the Chicago Burlington and Quincy. This is history to taste! Dining by Rail is one book.

[@mylesjude233]

Watching the video right and now loving it Max. Also, think in the future you'd do a video on history of steakhouses 🍖

[@behindthespotlight7983]

A semi relevant factoid: when commercial air travel began replacing the well entrenched railroads (first in the US and soon thereafter in W. Europe) many chefs were attracted to the pay scale offered to whip up their signature dishes in the air. Two symbiotic problems intertwined. The first was that early propeller driven aircraft tended to fly between 10,000 and 15,000 feet AGL. This is tremendously “bumpy” air. Not ideal for fine dining or preparation thereof. When jets arrived the typical flight altitude increased by a good 10,000 feet more but it slowly became evident that pressurized cabins combined with the changes to passengers’ inner ears and sinuses greatly altered their perceptions of taste. Apparently it was remedied by more salt, more sugar, more butter and more garlic and onions. So when we marvel at the early 1950’s stewardesses rolling a carving station through the cabin we’d be wise to consider that some au jus probably wound up on a favorite dress or trousers. Not to mention that those aircraft probably smelled quite…lived in upon arrival.

[@jackboerner1901]

I think an absolute essential tasting history episode would be making food served aboard Santa Fe’s Super Chief. It’s also a great opportunity to discuss how American railroads competed for providing 1st class passenger service. The Harvey House cookbook is available with just about all the dishes that would’ve been served.

[@WasatchWind]

Another cool American train travel episode could be about how the Northern Pacific popularized the baked potato, after they started heavily promoting it on their route.

[@SuperBossGiovanni]

So for anyone curious, I ran the math, and Mr. Warman (writing in 1895) has told us that eating 3 meals on the Orient would cost around $95 in 2023, about $32 per meal. That is a pretty good deal for fine dining.

[@kevting4512]

"He had contacts." Oh nice. "He was family friend with King Leopold the Second." Oh no...

[@karenebarker9244]

This series is wonderful! Please, please a segment on American Roadside Diners during the 1950s tourist travel.

[@petergray2712]

16:13: Petit Pois are peas braised in onions and bacon, and Fromage de Pays is a kind of cheese made exclusively in the department (subregion) of Chantal in south-central France.

[@jonathanpanlaqui1855]

Hi Sir Max and I'm watching from the 🇵🇭. Before luxury liners and airlines, there's dining on the Orient Express train where passengers eat fine food.

[@kathleenhensley5951]

My grandfathers and father (in his youth) all worked on the old New York Central trains...so train travel played an important part of my youth. I was fortunate enough to ride trains all the way to Kansas several years... or, down to NYC to see a sister. Train travel is a very unique experience - Now, in old age, I'd actually consider riding trains as a vacation in itself, though, I understand that the food on them is now truly awful, which is terribly disappointing. It's no better than that junk you buy at the deli in your local Safeway. There are videos of people who travel and report on the quality of the various train rides, basically, travel advisors. I'd love to travel the northern tier states, passing through the Rockies. Even the plainest train ride, in the 1960s, which is what we could afford, was interesting .. and I wouldn't get as sick as I do on planes!

[@davidcheater4239]

Last year I took the Montreal-Halifax (sleeper) train and the food was restaurant level nice. I've also heard good things about the trains from Toronto to Vancouver. The cross Rocky Mountain trains in Canada are highly recommended vacations.

[@WasatchWind]

If you want a luxury train today, there's the Rocky Mountaineer in Colorado, that serves fine food aboard. I know that a number of historic railroads in the country also have luxury specials. For me personally, while I don't know the quality of the food on board, I hope to someday ride the Durango & Silverton or Cumbres & Toltec in Colorado, both historic steam excursions. But I really agree with the sentiment. I'm a young in, but I've read a great deal about that golden age of passenger rail, and I hope something like it will come back someday.

[@jonesnori]

Dining car sit-down service had good quality food last I tried (2015), though perhaps not Escoffier-level. The café car food is not good, though.

[@markrossow6303]

barely remember a train trip to So.Dak. to visit the Great-Uncle still on the family farm with my Grandparents : Yakima WA to Bismarck No. Dak.; must have been car down to the farm near the dam'd Missouri River = switch from dryland wheat to beef cattle -- harvesters abandoned to rust on the hilltops then train back to Tacoma to visit a different relative in damp SW WA Summer before Kindergarten in Mainz (profile pic is previous Spring -- Ft. Huachuca AZ)

[@tamarrajames3590]

This was lovely, I have Escoffier’s cookbook , and, while many of the recipes are exacting and intricate, they have always proved flavourful and delectable, as long as properly followed.🖤🇨🇦

[@bivanbivanus6448]

Max , if you ever have the ocasion , do not hesitate to visit Romania. The caviar is still as fresh and the wine is just as good , and let us introduce you to the gift from our Lord and Saviour - Romanian pork - with a special recomandation from the Wholly Spirit - pork meat sarmale in sauerkraut leaves with mamaliga and fresh cream.

[@Kasa022]

As a French, thank you Max for always making an effort to pronounce the best possible all those names and words in French. Some sounds are not natural to americans so i know you have to check and then train to get it right! The accent remaining is cute (not in a negative way) I wish i could use the modern orient express but i've checked the price and i understand how poor i am to get that experience and how much it wouldnt have been different during the golden age 😂