Eating on a German U-Boat in WW1

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Subtitles: Jose Mendoza | IG @worldagainstjose
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#tastinghistory #ww1 #uboat

[@mnk9073]

How do we fight scurvy? Spain: "Lemons and oranges!" England: "Limes!" Germany: "SAUERKRAUT!"

[@n3phelem549]

There is the german ingenuitiy again though. You were able to make insane amounts of Sauerkraut in a REALLY short time. You can even artificially fasten the whole process down to mere days. cheap, sates, very fast, great amounts. Sauerkraut is above citrus fruits by a longshot

[@napoleonfeanor]

All of Central Europe

[@JP2GiannaT]

I've got a gallon pickle jar of the stuff fermenting as I type this.

[@TheRedWon]

@@n3phelem549 Not to mention that it's resistant to spoiling and mold since it's fermented

[@XtreeM_FaiL]

Cabbage has much more vitamin-C than oranges.

[@DJ-fn3jm]

Making everyone eat sauerkraut on a sealed vessel "that was 100°F and very poorly ventilated" sounds like a war crime. 🤣🤣

[@mfbfreak]

Read 'Das Boot' preferably in its original language. The writer took a lot of effort to describe the combination of intense stank on board of the boat. Words that would demonetize youtube videos quite rapidly. Keep in mind that sailors hot bunked (1 bunk per 2 sailors, 1 sleeps while the other is on watch) and barely had any washing facilities. And something about what young men do a lot in their private time.

[@DJ-fn3jm]

@@mfbfreak I saw the movie a few times but never read the book. crazy stuff.

[@WantedVisual]

And that is before you learn how utterly obsessed Germans are with ventilating their living and work spaces.

[@paavobergmann4920]

@@mfbfreak Yeah some sailor mentions early on that the gas masks are most useful for exactly that purpose, but not so much if there is an actual emergency... Yeah but, 42 unwashed sailors, moldy leather gear, engine grease, salt water, flaking paint, diesel, old socks, hot bunks, semi-funtional toilets...and sauerkraut. all jammed inside a 70x2,5m tube. for months. Yummy.

[@nautifella]

Submarines are also called _"Sewer Pipes."_ When a _Boat_ pulls in after an extended deployment, you can smell on shore 200-300 yards away.... *in heavy fog.*

[@Colddirector]

The thought of a grizzled U-Boat cook tearfully threatening to find another boat that'd appreciate him is so funny. High school really does never end.

[@iamcurious9541]

To be fair they we're much older than highschoolers

[@davidstuehr7765]

I feel for the guy. He had limited space, limited ingredients and no matter how hard he tried, the food would be pretty horrible. and sailors complain almost as an art form.

[@chubbydinosaur9148]

​@@davidstuehr7765 me too, I'm a good cook, I can turn shit into a 5 course meal, but damn poor Miedtank, he was doing his best with what he had and it was still not enough. Also that name is somewhat epic.

[@juhis5936]

I used to be a cook in the navy and that story was very relatable lmao, goddamn people complain about everything and when you have to see the same faces for months at a time I started boiling too

[@Alexis84DE]

Pro Tipp: Most German dishes that feature any kind of cabbage as ingredient (like sauerkraut) will add whole caraway seeds to aid with digestion. It’s supposed to help with the gases from the cabbage. Greetings from Wuppertal, Germany 🇩🇪

[@jnalhn1188]

In case have some Aquavit after the dish. Liquid caraway with alcohol. 😂

[@Alexis84DE]

@@jnalhn1188 yeah we also have a great Kümmel Schnapps that’s very popular as a digestive, that will also do the trick 😅

[@tavish4699]

i aint never heard that before and im german myself

[@Alexis84DE]

@@tavish4699 du kennst kein Kümmel zu Kohl? Dann bist du nicht deutsch. Das gehört zusammen wie das Amen in der Kirche

[@orfamayQ]

I think for sauerkraut the bloating isn't that much of an issue since it's fermented.

[@RudeKeyser]

"How much sauerkraut should be added?" is not a question that would ever cross a German's mind. 😂

[@MysteriumArcanum]

"how much sauerkraut should we add?" "Yes"

[@Serenity_Dee]

I believe the answer is "yes."

[@1One2Three5Eight13]

"How much do I have?" is my usual answer to that one. I'm assuming Germans are a little more restrained, due to having more sauerkraut on hand.

[@mooslionheart]

Jwahol ! Ve have vays of finding out how much sauerkraut …

[@speedracr7]

How much will the bowl hold?

[@PonySlaystation15]

I was disappointed for a moment when the primary source mentioned hard tack and you didn't play the clip. But then you said it and played the clip and all is right with my Tuesday now

[@clone_69]

Agreed, I kinda expected a cut to "clack clack" then go back as if nothing happened

[@randomsandwichian]

I am utterly flabbergasted!

[@shiNIN42]

Similar but I KNEW the clip will come eventually! Obviously. No way it won't. I knew there will be a click because hard tack was mentioned. As my first thought seeing the very poor recipe was... Okay, no sausage... Or sour cream... But at least soak some hard tack in it!

[@jeromethiel4323]

Germans didn't have hard tack, they had panzer waffles! (and yes, i know there is a German word for hard tack, but panzer waffles is much more fun!)

[@betweentwomillennium5057]

The U-boat would make a hard tack to the right to avoid depth charges.

[@kimhackett9675]

My father, who passed away from complications of Agent Orange syndrome about 9 years ago now, was a Vietnam veteran who served in the US Navy on what happened to be World War II era diesel submarines. He had so many stories about what life on those boats was like, and they sound a whole lot like the conditions on the German u-boats you described. The ventilation was better and it was a little less hot and humid, but it was always still fairly hot and stifling with all those bodies on board, and all of that equipment. And the smell - he said that whenever hear any of the other sailors will get a chance to go outside, they declared that the clean air smelled funny. And everyone could always tell a submarine sailor from a sailor on the surface, because of the continual lingering scent of diesel fuse that would follow them everywhere. I could go on for hours with the tales that he told me, some of them terrifying, some of them funny, a lot of them not appropriate for mixed company, And they really are an interesting look into military life at the period, as well as a peak into what it would have been like back in World War II as well - A little after the time period that you're covering now, obviously, but still close enough that I'm sure some of what my dad experienced would have been very familiar to the German sailors you discussed today.

[@paulgerrard9227]

The agent orange on submarines seems a stretch

[@jimreplicant]

@@paulgerrard9227my grandpa was george washington soo

[@topsecret1837]

Agent Orange inside submarines… Seriously, the diesel and terrible conditions probably did worse to your father than something that was dropped and deployed from the air, not under or on the surface of the ocean

[@tsm688]

@@paulgerrard9227 "this submarine duty is killing me, hope I get assigned something else" goes to fucking vietnam

[@Annelie58]

Thanks for sharing. How anyone could work in those conditions should get a metal!

[@florasarkastika6306]

Little german inside for you, Max: You should eat some of the soup with a fork. I mean some the Sauerkraut, of course. The bread is (until this day) used like a sponge for the liquids (or "Tunke" as it's called in parts of Germany). This is comon for watery soups, not for thicker soups like Erbsensuppe (Pea soup). Those are eaten completely with a spoon, of course. If you ever order a thin soup with something like vegetables in it in germany, don't be surprised if you get a spoon and a fork from your waiter. (Cultural difference may apply in different parts of the country)

[@christianx8494]

Especially true for what we call „Frische Suppe“ in Northern Germany. The greens like carrots, celery, leek, stay in the broth, cut small enough to be eaten with the spoon. Then small semonila dumplings are added. The meat (beef or chicken) though are taken out and served in bigger lumps on a plate next to the soup.

[@jeanettegant2894]

One of my German cousins used to change a "burp" into the phrase "Erbsensuppe mit Speck". Pea and ham soup is a favourite in UK as well. There is of course Eintopf, and we were only allowed the meat if we ate our first plate, then we could have seconds. My Uncle's favourite is Snibblbohnsuppe.

[@relhimp]

This is how I ate borscht with chopsticks couple of times.

[@flonkplonk1649]

@@jeanettegant2894i love green bean soup !

[@munkytaint666]

I feel like "Saurkraut soup" is what your parents tell you they had to eat after walking to school, uphill both ways, with no shoes, and over broken glass. .......in the snow.

[@stevenmcdonald1901]

No dinosaurs attacking... No volcanos exploding.... Those younguns have it too easy getting to school

[@michaelb1761]

I used to have a co-worker of Polish descent who brought sauerkraut soup to a potluck made with his homemade sauerkraut. It was very good. I would be jealous of anyone who got to eat that soup on a regular basis.

[@hollowed4306]

We have a soup made from it it is called щи. Originaly it was made like this - you throw meat, chopped onions and potatoes, tomatoes, sauerkraut in one pot, add water and leave it in the slowly cooling giant wooden stove overnight. At the morning you will have perfectly cooked pot of food

[@cerealport2726]

Sounds like you and I had the same childhood, just that mine also had wild dogs..

[@Vanda-il9ul]

Nope. For Christmas and special occasions as a midnight dish.

[@squishy024]

Hearing how the u-boat crew would make fun of poor Miedtank reminds me of a piece of advice from my grandfather, that being: NEVER piss off the cook. Best case scenario is your food ends up perpetually bland, and worst case, well... there are a lot of things you could add to a dish that you may never know about...

[@Nixx0912]

That reminded me of a part in our cult comedy "Jak rozpętałem II Wojnę Światową" ( How I started tge Second World War) where the vagabond hero Franek Dolas accidently became a cook in Foreign Legion and street smart as he was won some good stuff to prepare food for the soldiers. He lands in jail after that which starts riots as everybody was happy to have acctualy eddible things to eat after the shitty meals thay got before.

[@clothar23]

While I would never mock a cook I ain't about to pretend stale bacon mixed with dried peas is a delicious dish.

[@andrewallen9993]

That's why police either known or in uniform should never eat in restaurants or fast food takeaways. As they are loved and respected by everyone the "interesting" seasonings are disgusting.

[@vicroc4]

You'd think they would've learned that the galley staff are easily some of the most important people afloat. A military runs on its stomach, as the saying goes.

[@TheHeroRises]

My grandfather was a cook on a submarine. 2 submariners would give him a couple of pinches of tobacco for his pipe and he made sure they got extra butter on their extra helping of cornbread.

[@chrissandi9613]

I'm from the northern islands of Scotland, and I spoke to an old man in the 1990s, who'd been a merchant seaman. He described being in a Hamburg cafe around 1921, and the owner had been a submariner. The German chap described the boat coming to periscpe depth on the quiet N.W. of the island. Some crewmen went ashore in the inflatable, and stole a sheep that was tethered, so easy to get, silently. It proved to be not at all tasty, because it was a ram in full breeding season! This is maybe the origin of the Orkney/goats story in your video.

[@MrC1066]

Hi It seems we both heard versions of the same tale. Pity I did not look down the comments before commenting myself. Best wishes Richard

[@magnusbruce4051]

I think this might be one of your best episodes yet. I loved the variety and intimacy of the stories you relayed to us. I find it fascinating to hear just how relatable people were in the past. Like the overly sensitive cook somehow winning an iron cross, or making a song about not having anything to fry in the butter.

[@lore_house]

I agree! I heard the recipe and thought, well that's kinda dull. But then the stories he shared were so personal and humanising (in a very dehumanising and awful war), that it really was one of the best episodes.

[@paddington1670]

i hope Fipps was treated well! i would love to know more about the animals on these vessels!

[@connorgolden4]

I read this as “eat a German U boat” and was very confused lol.

[@TastingHistory]

It’s definitely a family size meal

[@13mungoman13]

I've heard of submarine sandwiches but this is ridiculous

[@CynUnion-ji9uj]

You eat a u-boat the same way you eat an elephant, one bite at a time. Very high in iron.

[@TakeshiKowacs]

Read that at first too, came curious for the Marinade and Sauce

[@dschonsie]

New sandwich from subway

[@tigerbalmenema]

When someone asks max if he has any hobbies, he says "I like to mention hard tack🍞💥🍞 as often as possible. "

[@WaiferThyme]

Clack clack!! 🫓🫓

[@tigerbalmenema]

@@WaiferThyme ah, your hard tack is better than mine... 🤣

[@PitDweller83]

I almost had a stroke when he said it twice and didn't bang them together

[@jcorona984]

​@@PitDweller8314:30 is one of those instances. Maybe because it was a historical reference.

[@tegnepigen]

😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@lilsuzq32]

Very similar to Polish Sauerkraut Soup (Kapusniak) - Ingredients 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil 1 bay leaf 2 cups Frank's Kraut rinsed and drained 1 teaspoon caraway seed optional 1 pound Polska Kielbasa sliced 4 stalks celery chopped 3 carrots sliced 2 cups white potatoes diced 2 32 ounce containers chicken stock 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1-2 teaspoons salt to taste 1 small onion diced Instructions In a Dutch oven over medium high heat, add oil and onion. Sauté for about 5 minutes, then add in kielbasa, kraut and caraway seeds. Cook for about 5 minutes more. Add in carrots, celery and potatoes and cook, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. Add in chicken stock, cover. When it comes to a boil, turn heat down to medium low. Cook covered for about 30 minutes, or until veggies are desired tenderness. Salt and Pepper to taste. Serve hot with a slice of rye bread.

[@krokeman]

For sure not olive olive oil, but lard or butter. Good Polish sauerkraut is naturally fermented, it should be alive (packages have coffee-like vents), without any acidicants or preservatives. No chicken, but pork ribs (could be smoked ribs, but not sure). Not sure right now but I think allspice could be added. There are similar cabbage-based soups like, kwaśnica, bigos, kapusta z grzybami. Kapusniak is cheapest among them. I think you messed up how to prepare vegetable as well, but not sure right now. Potatoes almost certainly need to be cooked separately, cause acid will make them hard and unable to boil.

[@crippleguy415]

KAPUSTA ❤😃👍🏻

[@dile3725]

Gotta toss in that bay leaf to impress those stupid judges

[@johnjankiewicz3478]

YA!

[@b.a.m.5078]

Oh, man. This video made me think of my old German teacher from high school. He was a cook on board a ...um... German U-boat in WW2, and he was the most interesting man I think I've ever met. I once got extra credit for making my report a recipe in German. He passed away in 2010, I think. I hope he's resting peacefully, he was one of the most peace loving men I've ever known.

[@DreadnoughtHvor]

My god the fact that man survived is a miracle in of itself. The WW2 U-boat casualty rate was...extremely high, to say the least.

[@mungologgo5526]

Respectfully, did he ever discuss his thoughts on serving Germany in WW2? Of course, he was a cook but I always think about the attitudes of the troops of all countries serving in WW2 and how different their motivations were

[@jmiller9742]

Waiting for a mention of "Hard Tack" and the cut to Max clacking the two pieces together is always a highlight.

[@the3nder1]

Even though I know it's coming I laugh *every* time. 😂

[@Linda-qp9kp]

@@the3nder1 same! 😄

[@Silva_Metal]

I was very disappointed there was no cut at the first mention. Thankfully that disappointment didn't last long.

[@ThePantangler]

I became anxious when he said it twice without a cutaway. Imagine my relief when it finally came. Still got a laugh.

[@SmokeyBCN]

that sound makes me teeth hurt

[@parkerlynne]

A military crossover with MRE Steve would be great. He could prepare a vintage MRE for Max while Max cooked another military meal!

[@victorkreig6089]

Great War MREs were terrible I doubt Steve wants to eat another lol

[@Justanotherconsumer]

This seems like a ration-al choice of a crossover.

[@bethenecampbell6463]

​@@victorkreig6089Steve should try Max's fresh hardtack. It would be interesting to hear how different it tastes compared to the vintage one he tried.

[@johmyh14]

I'd watch this.

[@theREALdingusMD]

I’d watch this but Steve is a very private guy. Gun Jesus has tried to get in contact with him unsuccessfully.

[@youngkim5909]

U-boat Kapitän: sits down to eat his watered down sauerkraut soup U-boat sailor: Mein Kapitän, we have spotted a ship. it's the Lusitania! U-boat Kapitän: What are they doing? U-boat sailor: Eating lunch, appears to be veal, spaguetti and... victoria pudding for dessert U-boat Kapitän: PREPARE ZE TORPEDO TUBES!

[@andychamplin]

Max, you need to look at the history of Tomato Soup Cake. When I was a kid my mom told me that this cake was made during the depression to replace a good number of expensive spices. Yes, this is a spice cake. I have only recently researched this finding out that she was 80% correct about this cake instead it was Campbell Soup that marketed the cake during the early depression. The tomato soup is not tasted in the cake, but is more moist than most spice cakes and the Campbell Soup recipe is based on old recipes now called Grandma's Tomato Soup. I'm sure you can tie all of this history together better than I can, but my mom's story is the reason why this cake is my favorite. It's nice to know that this cake was popular with the poor which the history pretty much confirms.

[@srice6231]

A Polish friend used to make sauerkraut soup that had Polish sausage, bacon, lots of paprika including hot paprika, caraway seeds and some carrots and onion. It was super spicy but oh so good!

[@revgregory]

Yup...kielbasa and hot Hungarian paprika are staples in mine, sometimes even some caraway seed.

[@jelsner5077]

That sounds really good!

[@gyrogeargoose]

Wow, that does sound good!

[@John_Redcorn_]

Yes, ive made polish sauerkraut soup a few times. The kraut is more of an addition rather than the main ingredient.

[@versoooo]

Kapuśniak, very delicious.

[@karl-heinzgrabowski3022]

Adding salt and vinegar turns the Sauerkraut into Sauersauerkraut

[@curiositycloset2359]

Technically, you wouldn't need to add vinegar to make sauerkraut.

[@widdenhorst4407]

@@curiositycloset2359 just using salt creates Sauerkraut, additionally using vinegar will create Weinsauerkraut. Adding salt and vinegar to already prepared Sauerkraut will create more sour Sauerkraut or Sauersauerkraut.

[@ald1144]

Sehrsauerkraut?

[@aribantala]

Sauerkraut²

[@NathanPa-xo3zj]

​@@widdenhorst4407not to mention Uboat are damp so its shortening the time to saur it lol

[@neonshadow5005]

Love the story about the Iron Cross for the chef. That's great. And I always laugh any time you use the hard-tack clip.

[@user-xs8iv7ru1w]

It's a little known fact but each u-boat had fart tubes that fed into the main torpedo tubes. It is said that sauerkraut fart gas could increase the range of a torpedo by 5 kilometers.

[@DamonNomad82]

And when the U-boat was out of torpedoes, they just put the fart tubes up to the portholes of the enemy ship. It was like filling the ship with mustard gas, but much more lethal...

[@flonkplonk1649]

As a former torpedo operator in WW1/2 i can confirm that.

[@flonkplonk1649]

As a former torpedo operator in WW1/2 i can confirm that.

[@dylanking6960]

Last time I was this early, I was trying to persuade Austria-Hungary that the Serbian ultimatum was a bit much.

[@lisaramaci6973]

Oh my God that's priceless😂😂😂👌👏👍

[@tonyharpur8383]

😂😅

[@CAP198462]

Last time I was this early, I was drinking and eating pastry with some guy called Gavrillo. I wonder what happened to him.

[@antonnurwald5700]

You should have persuaded Russia not to mobilize.

[@sasha1mama]

Last time *I* was this early, Agincourt didn't have a zillion arrows in it.

[@bcas71]

As an American submariner in the 90's, even on modern boats food was stored everywhere. We would walk on canned goods that were stored between our bunks until we ate through them. We did have coolers for meat, eggs, milk and such, but not a lot of the milk and eggs were loaded onboard. It would run out in about 2 weeks and then we switched to powdered eggs and milk. And the mess cooks made all the difference, one of the best Thanksgiving meals I've had was onboard.

[@SingleMalt2]

Did you have a soft serve ice cream machine? I hear they are a big deal on boats.

[@submanusn3692]

I can confirm. Canned goods replaced the floor in crews mess and enlisted berthing areas; covered with plywood sheets. Reactor Operator ET2(SS). '83-'89 Permit class fast attack.

[@jgkitarel]

The other aspect is, from what I've heard from those who were in the Silent Service, is that the quality of the food would also tell them just where and when in the current deployment they were and how long it would be before pulling into port. Depending on whether it was a routine mission at sea or wartime, that would also tell them when they would be turning the boat over to the replacement crew to take home. From what I've been told, the food overall, even late in a deployment before pulling into port to resupply, was actually pretty good, though would admittedly start getting fairly monotonous towards the end as some ingredients ran out. Not the same thing every day monotony, but more the you knew what day of the week it was by the meals being served monotonous without even having to look at the meal plan. Which is fair, as even Army units in the field with field kitchens started getting that the longer they were in the field, with the only real variation being the MRE you ate for lunch and whether you got in line to grab one fast enough to have your pick. Either way, you ran out of fresh vegetables and fruit within a week or two and the meat was the kind of tough and treated meats that kept a while. Salt, pepper, and tabasco sauce were your friends there. The coffee was rough enough to bite.

[@dtaylor10chuckufarle]

The US Naval Service tries really hard. No matter where they are, US Marines have Thanksgiving with all the fixings.

[@lancerevell5979]

Our surface ships in the early 1980s weren't that bad, we didn't have to cram food everywhere. We liked it when the storebought bread ran out, then the mess cranks (cooks) would bake fresh bread. Heavenly! Our baker was short and fat, his cakes and pizza were legend. The only problem was the Filipino mess cooks would curry everything! Threw me off curry for the next twenty years.

[@hanzquejano7112]

Other than history and cooking, what I like about Max's channel is the way he speaks. So classy and neat it's like listening to an audiobook. As an amateur writer, half of Max's skill would help me a lot.

[@user-hu6uz6ef2m]

I really like that you made a couple of videos back-to-back in which you talked about what it was like to be on both sides of the same conflict encounter. Very very cool. When I was in school and taking history classes, I rarely got to hear about what an average rando was doing and experiencing, and I really like this focus. It makes the stories more human because I know something about the people who were living in them. Your channel is such a delight, I always giggle at the hardtack clip.

[@ryncricket2001]

I’m Slovak and we have sauerkraut soup for Christmas. It usually has mushrooms and onions in it. When you bring it to a boil, you drop eggs in it and they poach. And we eat it over mashed potatoes. We add black pepper, but I can’t imagine adding more salt and vinegar.

[@acboesefrau7729]

I can imagine that it goes exceptionally well with mashed potatoes!

[@ninototo1]

that sounds good

[@betmo]

that sounds delicious!

[@zachhoward9099]

That sounds like an awesome winter meal!

[@angelopalmieri434]

I’m definitely going to try this, sounds excellent, as an Italian American we have our own traditions but it’s nice to see other cultures. Definitely seems like a more warm and hearty meal than the fish feast and the antipasto salads we do. I can say that I like the stuffed dates we make. Slice open dried dates or figs then fill with peanut butter and shake the filled halves in confectionary sugar. A nice sweet treat!

[@josxxiv]

“Fett” is often used to generally mean any oil. As flour, oil, and particularly sauerkraut are non-perishables, I can easily see this dish be made out to sea as supplies run low

[@heatherjones6647]

Now Boba Fett makes sense!

[@XMysticHerox]

It means fat which includes oils.

[@darthplagueis13]

Not only is sauerkraut non-perishable, it also contains a good amount of vitamin C, meaning it helps prevent scurvy.

[@hristohristov2882]

@@darthplagueis13 sauerkraut has saved lives in sea

[@gerdforster883]

The fact that sauerkraut prevents scurvy and is easy to store is the reason for the "all Germans eat loads of Sauerkraut" stereotype. On land, german cuisine isn't particularly heavy on sauerkraut. Certainly not more than the cuisines of other central european countries.

[@SynchronizorVideos]

I’d love to see you feature food from US submarines in WWII. The US really tried hard to improve conditions and food for their fleet sub crews. Also, US submariners in the Pacific theater were some absolute legends, and they don’t get talked about enough.

[@DamonNomad82]

I would also like to see Max do an episode on that! I have a collection of old National Geographic magazine issues from the 1930s and 40s, and several of the issues from WWII address the efforts to keep the American and other Allied soldiers and sailors serving in the war supplied with the best quality and quantity of food possible. Reading the magazines as a kid gave me an interest in topics like feeding the troops in both World Wars.

[@SynchronizorVideos]

@@DamonNomad82 Yeah, and it really made a difference. Japan would take an island and then be incapable of feeding the troops on it. Meanwhile the US made it a strategic mission to supply ice cream to their sailors.

[@user-es7sn4kd2v]

Sauerkraut is a Central European food. I am Polish and we love sauerkraut or pickled cabbage in other words. This isn’t just German dish. There are variations of this in Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and others.

[@flonkplonk1649]

Slovenia, Hungary, Russia.. there are everywhere variations of Sauerkraut! And there are many similarities between German and Polish food in general...

[@WiggaMachiavelli]

Did Poland have submarines in 1915?

[@jomercer21113]

my grandmother's recipe calls for about 600g sauerkraut for 1.4 liters water. She made a roux from a tablespoon each bacon fat and flour, and some minced onion. My favorite scene in Das Boot was when they had loaded up with provisions, and had bananas hanging from the ceiling.

[@michaelagampe7685]

I don't imagine they had bananas ! Not in these times ! Neither in ww1 nor ww2 ! And bananas ripe to fast ! They had sauerkraut for vitamin C ! And perhaps in early years lemons !

[@Sonkalino]

I'd imagine the fat in the recipe in the video would more often than not be lard. It was more abundant than butter, and has a longer shelf life too. Just my guess though.

[@HootOwl513]

@@michaelagampe7685 In that film, they got resupplied in neutral Spain, so tropical fruit was not out of the question. [Also a WWII film, not the Great War..] Banana bunches, and links of sausages and long salamis, hanging from over head pipes and stuffed in the Head, is the image I recall.

[@michaelagampe7685]

@@HootOwl513 i remember the film, the narrow passage controlled by other ships . my dad was signalman/wireless operator on an U Boot in WW2 ! He told about the tightness on board, an of the mould on the food, and food hangin arround everywhere. But he was in the north, so no Bananas for him ! Guess it was some times after the war he ate his first banana ever ! He was not from a rich family ! It's sad i would like to ask him more about this time, but me as a child he didn't want to frighten to much with war, later he suffered dementia, and now he passed away ! 😥

[@zachhoward9099]

Idk if any of you remember but there was a scene in Das Boot where the officers were sitting around their mess table and the second officer while talking to the Captain and Chief Engineer is eating lemon halves

[@Pinkstinkie]

After watching both this and the Lusitania video, I'm convinced the U-boat fired on the liner out of frustrated jealousy.

[@frankwerner6355]

Good point.

[@zeideerskine3462]

I think they may have been after the Lusitania's galley.

[@TheLastOfUsFan]

Historians think the U-boat was confused. The British used a dirty tactic in the war and they would station their warships in the vicinity of American civilian vessels and trade ships, this tactic was used for 1 or 2 reasons people think. Either the British assumed German U-boats would not attempt to torpedo their ships because they were close to civilian ships, or more maliciously the British intentionally stationed their warships close to American civilian ships in an attempt to have the U-boats mistakenly fire on them dragging America into the war against the Germans.

[@paris-1911]

@@TheLastOfUsFan Woah… I’d hope that wasn’t the British’s intent, but you never know.

[@taiyoqun]

​@@paris-1911I mean, America mainly gets into wars by loosing things at sea. Pearl harbour, the sinking of Battleship Maine, Boston harbour, pirates in the Barbary wars, the Banana wars because of the Panama canal, the occupation of Veracruz started when Mexico captured some sailors, etc. And they did get into ww1 precisely because of U-boats, so I wouldn't put it past the British to "hypothetically" try to sway war support by "hypothetically" letting a little U-boat through. Heck, I wouldn't even put it past the Americans to sometimes put their own ships in danger to sway their own citizens' public opinion.

[@inkmetal1]

I am of half Belgian and half Polish heritage. The Polish also have pickle and sauerkraut soups. As sauerkraut came out of a crock not a can whatever you grabbed with your hand is what went into a recipe, no measurement required. B&M still makes canned bread.

[@lethalwolf7455]

I’m a fan of two kinds of videos, cooking and history. You Sir, are literally a prayer answered 🙏

[@VonArmagedda]

*Underwater clack-clack intensifies*

[@jonathanpanlaqui1855]

Sir Max taps hardtacks in it.

[@buffewo6386]

"Sonar, go active. 2 hardtack clack-clacks should do it..."

[@Fooma777]

*clink clink* Alt: *glub glub*

[@KR-hg8be]

​@@buffewo6386somewhere a whale hears the clack clack and explodes

[@Hailstormand]

And that's how underwater sonar was invented

[@AmericanBeautyCorset]

In Chicago, at the Museum of Science and Industry, had a real German U-boat. The museum acquired it in the 1950s. There is a famous picture of it on Lake Michigan being towed. On school trips, we were actually allowed inside at that time. Even as children 3 - 4th graders, we noticed how small the inside was. I could not imagine a 6ft 2 German trying to navigate around. It was really cool. So Yes, I have been inside of a German UBoat..😅

[@sphhyn]

I am German and have never visited a German UBoot. But i did visit a old Russian submarine which you can visit in Germany at the Baltic Sea. And yes. It was also tiny !!! Maybe they specifically put smaller men on these ships ? But any way , Germans on average are not taller than the French I would think.

[@samsanimationcorner3820]

I saw that as a kid in about 2002 or 2003 when they had the Titanic Exhibit there.

[@seth-cd8cf]

​@@sphhynthere are several museum uboots in Germany, for example in Bremerhaven

[@prcervi]

i think i remember it being a thing in the military that if you were taller that you weren't a first choice for submarine duty unless you were really good at a specialized task

[@AmericanBeautyCorset]

@samsanimationcorner3820 Yes, but by that time, you were not allowed inside of it. They put up plexiglass to stop vandalism. In the early 70s, they displayed it outside of the actual museum. I have a picture of my mother standing next to it. 🙂

[@dani_a_biro]

In Romania we also have sourkraut (varză murată) soup. I love it. I could eat eat every day. We also add smoked pork ribs or sausage.

[@shelleysykes5317]

I always like it when your videos are heavier on the history than not, and this one is my new favorite. I learned so much! Thanks, Max!

[@bl3343]

Every time hardtack 👏👏 was mentioned in the journal, I found myself knocking on my chair twice like Pavlov's dogs.

[@urzaplaneswalker125]

I started saying "clack-clack" anytime hardtack is mentioned anywhere, even in books...

[@lisaramaci6973]

My grandfather fought on the German side in a Prussian Army unit for the entire war, 1914-1918. The last year of the war, literally the only thing they had to eat was plain boiled white rice, 3x a day; when he married my grandmother, a legendary cook, he told her she could make him literally anything but rice and he would eat it happily. And indeed, from the day he mustered out in 1918 until the day he died in 1969, rice never touched his lips again.

[@shawnmiller4781]

My grandfather was a cook who joined the US Army in 36. He would never allow spam in his house after the war. My other grandfather worked on installing DEW line sites across the Arctic. Said the food at some sites were pretty good some where awful and you used catchup to co we the flavor of the bad food. He was never a fan of catchup after that

[@cgnicolis]

My friend's father was a Greek merchant mariner who had been shipwrecked and spent a couple of weeks on a lifeboat. When he was rescued they fed him a lot of watermelon, which he never touched again.

[@moritzl4024]

My grandfather can’t stand rice till this day.

[@robertbeisert3315]

My great-grandfather was a school principal and a farmer during WWII. The only foods he could eat unrationed were American cheese and peanut butter, if I remember rightly. He never touched them again, for some 55 years or so.

[@robertbeisert3315]

@@shawnmiller4781 I saw a documentary once that said Catsup was once short for "Cat's Supper". It was more similar to Garum or Worcestershire sauce, apparently, and it was explicitly for covering the disgusting flavors of rotting meat. Don't know how true any of what I said is, but it would fit.

[@blacksage2375]

I always remember when I was in the Navy you could track how long we'd been underway by the sauces in the galley. The A1 barely lasted a week, the Texas Pete would run out in a few weeks and mustard not long after, and while we had twice as much ketchup as anything else it only lasted three weeks or so. Then came dark times with only Heinz 57 sauce and the cooks' notion of "tartar sauce" being about 50/50 water and mayonnaise garnished with pickles.

[@jasonelwonger2352]

Just want to say thanks for the effort you put into these videos. Always a pleasure to watch!

[@angrylittlespider4593]

Nope. The hardtack clip will NEVER get old.

[@AdDewaard-hu3xk]

It will.

[@tinyetoile5503]

Much like the hardtack itself!

[@AbsolutleyBursar]

Tea and Rum was a british army staple as well. My grandad during WWII's sicily campaign called Operation Torch was given his ration of tea with rum in it and he complained 'I like tea, I like rum, I don't like rum in tea. So give me one or t'other or none at all'. He was often sent to peel potatoes for being insubordinate XD

[@trisblackshaw1640]

Amusing! But maybe you're thinking of Operation Husky in July 1943? Operation Torch was the Allied invasion of French North Africa in November 1942. Sorry for being unnecessarily pedantic!

[@MarthaDwyer]

'Das Boot' is a wonderful, Academy Award winning German movie about a WWII U boat. I saw it many years ago, but one thing I remember is the sense of claustrophobia, heat, and fear. I think it's on Netflix captioned.

[@mercurywoodrose]

I think we need to bring back tea and rum. I think it could be a nice drink sort of like an Arnold Palmer.

[@julietsmith5925]

​@@MarthaDwyerThe u boat you see in Raiders of the Lost Ark, was the same boat on rental.

[@eugenio5774]

hehe! my boyfriend's great great grandad on his mother's side was very insubordinate as well during WWI. he was in the navy, and one day an admiral came for an inspection of the ship he was on. the admiral held a speech and recommended to everyone to be parsimonious with food, and "to eat little and chew a lot". my boyfriend's ancestor was heard muttering "he should take his own advice, with that huge potbelly of his!" and had two weeks of punishment as a result.

[@simonchau8675]

I'm so glad this channel popped up on my feed. The 2 things i love most food and history. The hard tack plugs never gets old

[@smickster]

Always interesting stuff. Thanks!

[@tealia]

I do love seeing the font style difference in all these old recipes.

[@TastingHistory]

Me too!

[@tonig.1546]

I remember on a school trip we learned to write and read the difference between “Sütterlin” and “Fraktur” writing.

[@yfelwulf]

Old style German is almost Gothic real done by a scribe type stuff in an old bible.

[@ChrisMattern-oh6wx]

@@tonig.1546 Before WWII, many Germans believed that German was only properly written in a Fraktur font or script, as opposed to an "Antiqua" or Roman font. When I was young I remember discovering a 1930s high school German textbook (long since gone, alas. I really wouldn't mind having it again) The explanatory English text was in a Roman font, but the German text was all in Fraktur.

[@ecitraro]

Doing my Germanic genealogy I’ve learn to read all of it, though “read” might be a stretch. I still don’t know German, so I guess it’s more like I can identify letters and then put it into a translation app.

[@DeeVet1]

Delicious sauerkraut soup? Here’s my recipe: 6 cups water, 3-4 Smoked pork hocks or smoked pork neck bones, 8 cloves garlic, sliced, (yes! EIGHT) 1/3 cup of black pepper, (yes 1/3 cup) 4 russet potatoes, quartered, 1 pound sauerkraut, salt to taste. Dump everything in a pot. Bring to boil. Simmer until potatoes are fork tender. Take out the hocks or neck bones and remove whatever meant you can and add to the soup. Discard the bones. Serve with a hearty bread (rye, pumpernickel, black bread) this is not a thick soup. Cheap, tasty and satisfying. NOTE: my fussiest diner turned his nose up at first. I convinced him to taste it and he became a fan. It’s a copy cat recipe I analyzed from a Polish restaurant. So glad I did. They closed during Covid. Regards! Love your channel!

[@honiideslysses12]

I LOVE ham hocks for sauces. I'm from the American South so they're used quite frequently. Prosciutto butts and scraps are great, too.

[@0neDoomedSpaceMarine]

Eight cloves of garlic, huh? Sure, more is more!

[@DeeVet1]

@@0neDoomedSpaceMarine Remember, the garlic is going into 6 cups of water. Yep…8 cloves. Not BULBS OF GARLIC, just the cloves…lol!

[@0neDoomedSpaceMarine]

@@DeeVet1 True. I tend to press 3 cloves of garlic in when cooking a big pot of chili, but there's also a lot of stuff in that thing, so as sweet as garlic is (figuratively), I don't want it taking over the entire dish, for that is what garlic bread is for.

[@teemoto3923]

How much garlic? Yes.

[@crazygame2724]

Good job Max! Really enjoyed this episode. I used to work with an old World War 2 submariner cook named Hal. US fleet. Great cook!

[@beyney4727]

your Schwarzbrot would be considered more of a Graubrot (that is not a riff, its actually called that) in germany. Proper Schwarzbrot has a high amount of seeds and grains and actually is very very dark. If you get the best Schwarzbrot it also should be a little bit sticky (?). It's not really very dry :) Also, the soup looks good, might make some too now

[@zeideerskine3462]

And the best Schwarzbrot is made in Emden. Every sailor knows that.

[@styrax7280]

I know it as "Mischbrot", literally: mixed bread. Also, I would consider pumpernickel to be a type of Schwarzbrot. That being said according to wikipedia Mischbrot / Graubrot is called Schwarzbrot in south Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

[@dadrising6464]

He did mention "Pumpernickel" which is the sticky, long lasting type of "Schwarzbrot".

[@muadddib]

​@@dadrising6464 Pumpernickel with leberwurst is an absolute delight. Havent had that in years, i need to get that asap

[@paavobergmann4920]

@@styrax7280 Yep. Where I live (southwestern corner of germany), Schwarzbrot is either pumpernickel (not traditional in my region) or a loaf of 100% rye. often in square format (kastenbrot) "Graubrot" is about a 50/50 mix of wheat and rye. There is also "Roggenmischbrot " (rye-forward mix) and "Weizenmischbrot" (wheat-forward mix). All of them are usually sourdough, so they keep a little while. And, btw,Rye bread and Sauerkraut is a match made in heaven. Ok, this particular recipe really screams "wartime rationing", but in general, yeah, great.

[@cemsity]

Honestly a missed opportunity for a Sharpedo plushy

[@TastingHistory]

Already used it. You get Wailord

[@limeparticle]

My question is, at what point will the pool of unused Pokemon become so small that the topics are decided based on the available Pokemon? 😅

[@0neDoomedSpaceMarine]

@@TastingHistory I always felt Wailord was very zeppelin shaped (and sized) as a kid, but then I was also very obsessed with Crimson Skies at the time.

[@thatbloomer5642]

Wailord fits better though. Submarines like the U-Boat shared the same shape with Wailord.

[@AidanNaut0]

​@@TastingHistoryso forceful, that must be the saurkraut talkin!

[@2karu]

i really appreciate the closed captions you put on your videos, helps me pay attention and i love the way you do your videos!

[@anna_in_aotearoa3166]

Jose, Max's husband, does the CC for this channel & their side channel Ketchup with Max & Jose, and does a very thorough job! The intentional accessibility of their content is yet another reason to love these guys ❤️

[@2karu]

@@anna_in_aotearoa3166 i just found the side channel, thanks for sharing

[@anna_in_aotearoa3166]

@@2karu Agreed! It's been lovely seeing the camera-shy Jose slowly become a bit more comfy with very occasionally appearing in front of the lens too 😋 A lovely gentle-couple, so glad the brave decision to go full time YT has paid off so well for them. And the cats are funny!

[@oiyecant720]

extraordinary videos, good sir. I love history & these videos are a great mix of interesting things. The combination of learning about historical events with the food associated is really something original and fun.

[@sifridbassoon]

years ago I got a sauerkraut recipe from a little old German woman in my condo complex. The directions and proportions are a little vague since there are endless variations and quantities you can do, but basically: 1. drain and wash your favorite sauerkraut 2. place in a baking dish 3. mix together extra carraway seed, brown sugar, and liquid (water, wine, apricot nectar...whatever). Make enough to pour over and cover the sauerkraut. 4. cover and bake in a slow oven (350 - ish) FOREVER. Seriously, let it cook as long as you can (I've done it in a crock pot over night). Just be sure you don't let it cook dry. Goes well with braised sausage and a dip of apricot marmelade with dijon mustard.

[@codename495]

This sounds criminally delicious. Omg.

[@scottbell1414]

Gonna try this, thanks!

[@sifridbassoon]

@@gwennorthcutt421 Enjoy. It may take a couple of times until you find the mix that works for you.

[@sifridbassoon]

@@codename495 Hope you try it. The tricks are to be sure to wash/drain the sour juice at the beginning and slow cook it. It ends up a tender, sweet/sour slaw.

[@jeremysutherlin3803]

@@gwennorthcutt421 Sauerkraut is a really unique and strong flavor. If you like pickled and fermented foods you'll probably like it, but it's distinct. I like it best when it's mixed with sausages and cooked potatoes and there's a big fat slice of dark pumpernickel rye coated in butter on the side.

[@Subdood04]

Back in the “old days” (1980s) we had to hand load all stores on board. A lot of frozen. We loaded a battered box labeled “Grade ‘D’ Beef Knuckle - not fit for human consumption”. It was stamped as rejected by the Army Veterinary Service, and the NJ State Penitentiary System. We loaded it and ate it in a stew at some point. Over all, we are pretty darn well all things considered. But as max said, fresh veg and milk were luxuries and ran out quick. At least we had AC (for the electronics mostly).

[@mramisuzuki6962]

Grade is style of meet cut, not really a safety grade. It’s a poor choice for human consumption because it’s typically has ground bone and lots of conditioning in for further processing.

[@JohnDoeRando]

That's hilarious lol

[@Bipolar.Baddie]

"kochbuck" being the German word for cookbook is almost as funny as "unterseeboot" being submarine

[@Liberty-wo2iy]

After all this time, the hardtack "Clack-clack" still cracks me up...

[@Roshio7]

Can confirm we still keep a ton of drystore goods in the engine room and eggs tucked in the fan room before going on a decently long underway. Rationing from the start is also a must lest ye be damned to nothin but peanut butter tortillas fer o'er a week at the end of an underway.

[@greggi47]

Were the eggs preserved in "water glass"/sodium silicate? And were dried eggs an option"

[@Roshio7]

Nah just giant like 100 egg cartons stacked up in boxes. Dehydrated 'egg crystals' after the fresh stuff was out

[@elarianasky]

It’s so interesting to hear the stories of the crews and officers on u-boats, information you never ever _ever_ would’ve read or learned about in school, unless you were doing a project about WWI. This channel is seriously such a great place for learning about things that happened years ago and I’ve really learned a lot. Thanks so much Max!

[@nicholaschiazza7926]

You'll be happy to know the captain of U-20 didn't get off scot-free. The captain transferred to U-88 and was sunk by a mine in in 1917. Tea and rum is called grog, by the way. Rations of rum and tea (separately) were given to sailors as fresh water tended to develop algae which made the water slimy. However sailors held back their rum rations so they could drink it all at once. After that, grog was given to sailors already mixed. The rum kept the algae from forming.

[@danielboggs2013]

Fascinating. You know eating on a Japanese WWII submarine would make a really interesting show too.

[@tsm688]

Interesting show, the food probably not that good or interesting. There was a lot of rice and barley, mixed in the right proportions to avoid nutrient deficiency. Canned things again. Doubtless fish when they could get it, which is almost never. And they foraged when they could like everyone else did in the previous war.

[@lhfirex]

U-Boat crews always complained about the quality of their food. Said they were eating in dives all the time!

[@ald1144]

Take this like and get out.

[@thedeadpoolwhochuckles.6852]

Yeah the food was always SUBpar.

[@Mike-rx3mn]

wow ww1 dad joke

[@hadasabriciu3462]

​@Mike-rx3mn your comment made me snort a headache away :)))

[@debbralehrman5957]

Oh no you didn't!🤦🏼‍♀️

[@craiggarver4025]

I'm really impressed. As a 65-year old WWII and WWI buff, you pretty much captured life on a U-boat. Those things left port crammed with food, and usually didn't return for six months, especially in WWII. They slept three to a bunk (3 eight hour shifts) and carried ONE change of clothes, for when they returned to home port. Most of the crew never saw the light of day - in any navy - and apparently the smell was overwhelming when the hatches were opened by the home port servicing crews. "Fug" was the word. :)

[@bruceparr1678]

I thought it was usually 4 on and 4 off.

[@kirkvoelcker5272]

Oh, man - hot bunking😵

[@firestorm165]

Did they figure out a solution to the mould problem by 1939?

[@mindstalk]

How did they have room to take prisoners?

[@BogeyTheBear]

@@mindstalkTypically when a U-Boat captured a ship, they forced the crew to abandon ship in the lifeboats, gave them a bearing to nearest land, scuttled the ship manually (torpedoes are expensive and finicky) and then set off a distress signal for the stranded sailors.

[@webkinskid]

Loving the attention to detail that you spend 15 minutes telling stories while the sauerkraut soup simmers, amazing detail

[@panchitoborja]

Your videos give me a sort of relaxation and tranquility! I love watching them

[@RomeeRaven]

As a German, I've never heard of Sauerkraut soup. My grandma used to make Sauerkraut stew quite often but it wasn't nearly as watery as this. Then again, I was a kid in the 80s, not in ww1.

[@simonh6371]

I was a kid in WW1 and we used to eat Sauerkraut soup at Christmas as a special treat. The rest of the year we just ate turnips and worms.

[@patriciabulleigh3382]

Lol, my grandmother was German and made a souerkraut soup. Never knew the recipe was too young to care. I'm going to try this to see if it's the same! She often had potatoes and sausage in it, though. Bet it started out from. The same recipe!

[@lisatheboywonder6744]

My great grandmother was from Hamburg Germany and was a little girl in WW1 she ate this type of soup, recipes like this for only used in times of desperation and food shortages to stretch out what little you had if you had a conscious choice on whether or not you want to eat a thin suit made of sauerkraut or not most people choose not unless they had to like in world war I.

[@mjbaz1]

My Oma Betty was from Backa, Austria-Hungary. I made a large batch of Sauerkraut Soup from "The Frugal Gourmet on our Immigrant Ancestors" cookbook. In the Hungarian recipes section. I made homemade sauerkraut and beef broth. I seem to remember it is thickened with beans and had paprika (powder, not fresh) and smoked pork. It was amazing. I loved it, and Oma loved it so much, she finished a large pot over several days. It was about 6liters.

[@BonnieEldritch]

As a northern german 90s kid, I remember Sauerkrautsuppe distinctively from kindergarten :D But I think it was the cook, he also made Grünkohlsuppe for us. Not the best choice for children 😂

[@im_incredibly_bored]

new max miller episode is the highlight of my day

[@TastingHistory]

Huzzah!

[@yolandaf1122]

Mine also , always puts a smile on a dark day

[@sensationalfailure]

Sauerkraut is predominantly eaten in the south and east of Germany. It's highly unlikely that a Navy crew from the northern coasts would have it on board.

[@bcosican2694]

Love the war time food videos. More please Max!

[@druviseglite]

As a Latvian with Baltic Germans influence, the sauerkraut soup is delish as one can mix in a variety of ingredients like borscht with meat, potatoes, cream, pearl barley, etc. Traditionally it is a winter food for hearty meals in winter time.

[@andersjjensen]

If made with a stout stock instead of water it does sound like the kind of base you can just drop anything, you happen to have, into and have it taste nice. A phat scoop of sour cream in the middle doesn't sound like a bad idea either.

[@PoppycockPrincess100]

Poor Miedtank! Glad to hear that he got that iron cross though.

[@ccburro1]

Wonderful stories - the human experience. Love your choices of background music during the “tastings” at the end of the episodes. ❤️

[@snowqueen113]

Hi Max & Jose ! How about a video on that delicious looking German black bread and some history on types of rye bread or the use of sourdough ? Love your videos, you make it so very interesting. And I’ve saved so many for the recipes!

[@monteverdi1567]

“There’s not any reason you shouldn’t try it” is without question damning with faint praise.

[@0neDoomedSpaceMarine]

It seems a bit plain. I feel it would do well with a couple of diced potatoes, a cup of cream, and maybe some sliced sausage, if you had any onboard. Sauerkraut is good against scurvy, so there's that.

[@jeffmartin5419]

@@0neDoomedSpaceMarine Indeed: this is absolutely screaming for more stuff to make really good soup. But if you master the base (butter rue) you've mastered the hard part of making great soup.

[@lenn939]

@@0neDoomedSpaceMarineSauerkraut with cream? I can get behind potatoes and sausages but cream just seems really weird to have with Sauerkraut. At that point you should just make a Krautsalat instead.

[@lisathaviu1154]

I suggest the Polish version - includes sausage, ham, carrots, turnips, maybe potatoes instead of using roux and lots of broth.

[@0neDoomedSpaceMarine]

@@lenn939 Look, I've never cooked a soup out of sauerkraut.

[@TheNewMediaoftheDawn]

My lord living on a U-boat sounds like hell; diesel, mold, humidity, bad food, claustrophobia, save us!!!

[@slurker3788]

on the plus side sometimes you can steal eggs and blame it on the monkey?

[@terri348]

Unfortunately, you are a "captive" crew. Not like you can get out and walk around the deck.

[@MsLeenite]

Thank you, Max. My uncle served in the US Navy aboard a submarine during the Korean conflict, but I never heard him tell any stories about life aboard a sub. I can well believe all the condensation and mold warnings, because I traveled in a small motorhome for 4 years. Good ventilation and a fan on "exhaust" was a must, in humid areas during summer, and using the propane furnace in winter. Otherwise you had damp walls and mildewed clothes. I always liked sauerkraut. At my last job, a coworker usually brought her crockpot full of sweet & sour pork and sauerkraut to our pot lucks. Her family came from Germany, and this was one of her Mom's dishes. She was one of the few employees who never had to bring home (or toss) any leftovers. The crockpot was scraped bare every time.

[@Cr4z3d]

The U.S. subs were better in terms of living conditions. They had actual Air Conditioning, as well as cold storage for the fresh food. Better arrangement of the Crew Barracks too. Oh yeah, and actual functioning showers, due to the ability to distill fresh water from the sea.

[@MsLeenite]

@@Cr4z3d Thanks, I'm glad to hear it.

[@Cr4z3d]

@@MsLeenite 👍

[@avrage-bublo979]

GREAT EPISODE, thanks

[@tdlf156]

For a potential recipe - maybe the first Nutella? It came about from the cocoa shortage from WWII in Italy. It was initially a solid product that was cut into slices

[@naamadossantossilva4736]

Funny how it became way more expensive than chocolate after the war.

[@poorwotan]

Sorta like Fanta in Germany... Would be fun to see Max dealing with carbonated beverages. :)

[@GameTornado01]

It was initially WHAT?

[@tanikokishimoto1604]

Nutella? Gag. Please NO.

[@meshuggahshirt]

@@poorwotan making Japanese ramune according to the original recipe (any beverage is a sparkling beverage if you've got a CO₂ fire extinguisher)

[@johnniewoodard648]

I served 8 years in the US Navy Submarine Service (in the 80s). Even on the nuclear submarine I served, provisions were stored just about everywhere.

[@franzjaegers]

Sauerkraut soup is a dish that reminds me of my youth. My mom was working in the local Hospital and when school ended i sometimes went there to drive home with her. Sometimes we went to the staff dining room and on some occasions Sauerkraut soup was served. It was a bit more sophisticated with added potatos and meat. And most of the staff brought about something to get a serving of the Sauerkraut soup back home.

[@GrimrDirge]

Max deserved every one of his millions of subscribers. What a great show.

[@d.a.thiewes7703]

Jürgen Oesten, a U-Boat commander during WW2 that sunk over 19 ships, over 100,000 tonnage of supplies once stated: "The food wasn't bad, unless you minded the taste of Diesel..."

[@MrSmokincodz]

" Das Boot" is a excellent film that depicts life aboard a combat active U-Boat. One of the best

[@joshuafletcher598]

That’s one of my fav movies

[@MrSmokincodz]

@@joshuafletcher598 me as well

[@dictare]

Das Boot was an amazing film. The series was good too.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

"I can't navigate on bananas!"

[@tavish4699]

@@dictare the seres is alot better the movie left out alot of scenes

[@PassTheMarmalade1957]

I recently had a seafood soup with a white broth and sauerkraut, and it was DELICIOUS. Never thought of adding pickled cabbage to mussels and clams.

[@timmi59]

This was definitely off the beaten path and I enjoyed it very much.

[@flyin4352]

Rescuing animals and having them live in the U-boats is one of the most memorable WW1 stories I've ever heard.

[@svenschollkopf3260]

Nice to see the proper german techniqe of dipping the bread. A slice of buttered rye bread is normaly eaten like that with cabbage,sausage or raddish salad. People often take ages pouring dressing on their plate as "You can't eat these things to dry"

[@scherbertdan]

Great episode!!!

[@corystreat7605]

DARN GOOD INTERTAING AND INFORMATIVE VIDEO!!!!

[@marchalmoody1009]

The new Book By Dr. Seuss "Roast Goat aboard a U-boat"

[@oskar6661]

While afloat?

[@AdamMPick]

It's literally a version of kapuśniak, as known all over Europe in lots of variations. You can add a lot of stuff to taste and I bet the "Abschmecken" at the end ment not adding more salt or vinegar, but herbs and spices, like savory and marjoram.

[@acboesefrau7729]

I would add some carrot and celery roots. But yeah those are fresh and not available after day 11. You can have them as dried ingredients, but then theey wouldbemouldy after day 15 i guess

[@mgold700]

Am german, abschmecken for me boils down to „add whatever so it tastes right“ could be spices, could be vinegar, can also be ingredients

[@DangerB0ne]

​@@mgold700It sounds like the phrase "season to taste" found in English language recipes. Most often it's in reference to salt, but the phrase is rather vague when not constrained by context.

[@mr.defaul7644]

Man I’m gonna have to find more of these lighthearted German war stories, I love them

[@robpoulter8199]

This is the most interesting video I've ever watched about U-boats, if you could cover more of this particular topic 🙏

[@hayati6374]

About the bread: what you hold looks like rye bread, yes. But Black bread needs seeds and maybe nuts baked into it. Half of the dough will be seeds! They are often pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds. It also has molasses, which makes it much darker. The bread you have in the video is a „Feinbrot“ or Fine Bread, which is purified flour and more perishable. Black bread is very common in the north of Germany and definitely also in Denmark.

[@koganusan4025]

what part of germany are you from? in austria, what max has is definitely called Schwarzbrot

[@johnbraunschweig]

@@koganusan4025 Oh, the opportunities. In Niedersachsen, that is definitely Graubrot.

[@madisonhasson8981]

Ground Flaxseeds are also frequently used to make the bread darker.

[@darthplagueis13]

Schwarzbrot is a bit of an ambiguous/seasonal term, but in the south of Germany where I live, it would never refer to something with seeds in it.

[@hayati6374]

@@koganusan4025 well I assume that the black bread the recipe refers to is one from the north of Germany, since the U boats and the marine in general would have gotten their supplies from coast towns anywhere around Schleswig Holstein or Hamburg or Bremen most likely. That’s where I’m from

[@CaptainRiterraSmith]

U Boat cook: You know it's bad enough these sailors give me a hard time for ingredients that I have no control over, but now there's a MONKEY IN MY KITCHEN! That's it, I'm putting in for transfer.

[@youmukonpaku3168]

"to which alternatives, the army being ground into French mud or the surface fleet starving in port while they watch the Brits laugh at them?" - captain, probably

[@ismellstatic]

Thank you so much for so overtly citing Raiders Of The Deep, that sounds like a fascinating read!

[@joshepherd9095]

Its coming into winter in Australia, perfect time for soup. I had a can of sauerkraut on my shelf so I tried the recipe with a few more vegetables and found it very tasty. I will definitely make this again.

[@MJW60777]

German Brown bread with fresh butter dipped in a good Kraut is one of my comfort foods during a cold winter